


Discovery Channel

by Kayevelyn



Series: Discovery Channel [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Knotting, M/M, Slow Build, but eventually there is porn, were!stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-21
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-12 13:59:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 127,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/491826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayevelyn/pseuds/Kayevelyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is the best werewolf ever. fork in the road au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Episode 1: I got this notion (i'm going to be bad ass)

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Канал "Дискавери" / Discovery Channel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/665392) by [Niobeya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niobeya/pseuds/Niobeya)



> This would not have happened without Beth (evanelric). She gave me the original idea of a verse where Stiles got bit instead of Scott (for porn). She helped me plot this out. She beta'd this. She helped me come up with the title and the summary and just. Her! She helped a ridiculous amount. So thanks so much to her for helping me get this off the ground bb ;~~~;
> 
> (omg guys i totally fail at ao3 ;~; i accidently ended up deleting the series and i know a few of you had already subscribed to it so you'll need to re-subscribe because i am a failure OTL)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6/23/2013: just doing some editing that should have been done months ago ~____~

The house phone rang right as Lennie and Mike were arresting the bad guy in a rerun of Law and Order. Stiles looked up from his American History textbook as his dad answered it with a gruff _Sheriff Stilinski_. The only people who called the house phone were from the station or telemarketers, and since it was 10:30 at night on a Tuesday it had to be the station. Process of elimination for the absolute win.

Stiles watched as his dad took the cordless phone into the kitchen for some privacy, sent a prayer to his mom like he always did, and scrambled for the other phone in the office as quietly as he could. He got it off the hook silently, just like ex-officer Williams had taught him when he was eleven, in time to hear the dispatcher report that state police were coming in.

“Have you got the joggers’ statement yet?” his dad asked.

“Yeah, Officer Rogers and Lieutenant Smith took them when they got to the scene. We’ve already got the K-9 unit on the way.” It was Harley from the station. She always took the night shift.

“Okay, okay. Has the ME gotten to the scene yet?”

“They are en route. Smith says he’d estimate our Jane Doe to be in her mid-to-late 20s. I’m sure we’ll find more once we find the other half.”

Stiles’ dad snorted. “Yeah, that would help. Alright, I’ll be there in fifteen. Gotta make sure my kid isn’t getting into any trouble.”

“Gotcha.” Harley laughed, and she might have had more to say but Stiles was already running back to the front room, trying to act like he hadn’t just been eavesdropping.

His dad came back from the kitchen and didn’t spare him much of a glance as he grabbed his coat and badge. His gun was already tucked into his holster.

“Going somewhere?” Stiles raised his eyebrows when his dad gave him one of his looks.

“Got a call from the station. Nothing too big.”

“Mrs. Casey’s cat is stuck in a tree again?” He gave his dad an innocent look. That had been the code when he was a kid.

His dad heaved a sigh. “Probably more like a lion. Now remember, bedtime is at 11, so right after this episode. Put all the dishes in the sink.” Stiles snorted and looked at their takeout dinner. They only used dishes for holidays, if that. He wasn’t holding his breath for Christmas this year. It was looking like he’d be playing Halo with Scott while their parents took the night shifts. “And no following me.” His dad said that part firmly, as if it would actually stop him.

Stiles saluted, and gave his father the courtesy of waiting five minutes before he scrambled for his room. He debated the merit of trying to be covert about this by sticking a pillow under his covers and climbing out the window, but decided against it. Old lady Matilda next door had nothing better to do than to watch him. She’d notice and gossip. He grabbed his keys, and as he looked around the living room to make sure he had shut off all the lights the excitement truly hit him.

“There’s a dead body.” He barely restrained himself from fist pumping the air. He ran out to his jeep. He needed to tell Scott. This was the biggest news Beacon Hills had had in—ever!

 

Sometimes Stiles had to stop and wonder why Scott was his best friend. It sure wasn’t because of his intelligence. But Scott had other, decent qualities. One of them was that he got Stiles. And by “got Stiles” he meant Scott wasn’t a complete idiot all the time and ran when there were cops. Even more, he ran in the _opposite_ direction from Stiles so that they wouldn’t get caught together.

Stiles knew Scott wouldn’t give him up if he was the one caught so he just focused on going as fast as he could away from his father. He didn’t want to be caught here; the talking-to he’d get would be terrible and his dad would be so disappointed. So he ran, trying to remember the right way back to the road.

He stopped to catch his breath when the sound of the police finally faded. He bent over, hands on his knees as he tried to get his eyesight back in focus. He’d started to get tunnel vision right about the time he jumped over the second fallen tree. He pushed himself back up and looked around, trying to see anything recognizable.

He was deep in the woods, that much was clear. There were trees, and more trees, and nothing else. He was completely lost, and it was starting to drizzle. Thank god he’d doubled up with his hoodie-sweater combination.

At least he was the one with the flashlight. He turned it on, hoping that the light would make the trees and bushes magically become familiar. Unfortunately all it did was allow him to see trees and bushes in a faint yellow glow. And oh look, there were some squirrels he could see now, proving he wasn’t alone, and that was an owl hooting.

He paused, looking around. He’d started narrating his life again, in the middle of the woods, with a potential killer around. Great, now he was letting Scott’s paranoia get to him. He was so much cooler than Scott. He didn’t get scared at typical wood-noises.

Or deer! Stampede of deer!

He jumped to the side, avoiding the deer coming right towards him, and planted himself on the ground to avoid the final two deer that lagged behind the rest. He flipped off the flashlight. It was probably what had spooked them in the first place. It was okay though, because he was almost at a clearing, and the moon was shining down. It would be a full moon in a few days. He wondered if that crazy person they’d let into their group in WoW would be too busy running skyclad through the woods to go on the raid they were planning. They sure had been going on about how special it was that Yule fell on a full moon this year.

A sound snapped him back into the present. He was still seated on the now-wet ground, and he probably had a huge dirt stain on his pants. He looked around and reached for his flashlight. Even if the light would bring the attention of more woodland creatures, it made for a good weapon against crazed killers who ripped bodies in half.

His breath picked up. He’d touched something. It was cool and flesh-like.

“Shit.”

He closed his eyes, bile rising in his throat. He swallowed it down and mustered up the courage to turn on his flashlight, looking right at the other half of the dead body.

He didn’t scream. His mouth was too dry for that. He pulled his hand off of the body’s shoulder, while taking in as many details as he could. The part of him that wasn’t sick to his stomach was cheering because _yes, he’d found the body_. The upper half of the body of some poor girl ripped right in two. Then the other part of him kicked in.

He threw up.

As he emptied his stomach of his Chinese takeout dinner he heard the sound again. It was a deep growl and he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie. He needed water or something.

The growl came again. He couldn’t tell from where. He backed away from the body and pressed himself against a tree just to have the comfort of something against his back. Nothing could come from that direction.

He turned just to be sure before looking forward again. There were red lights in front of him.

Eyes.

He panicked and sprinted away.

His heart was beating fast against his chest, and his legs burned. Something was closing in on him. He could hear it. God he was gonna kill his coach because all those suicides he’d run the past two weeks during conditioning were definitely _not_ helping.

There was a howl and then he was being pushed down. Something tore into his side and Stiles tried to turn and get away. He threw his hands up, eyes shut because he really, _really_ didn’t want to see what he was fighting. He kicked his legs, and his foot connected with the soft underbelly. He grabbed a fistful of fur, too thick to be hair, and pushed, trying to get out from under whatever it was.

His side hurt as he managed to get to thing off of him and he didn’t think, he just started running again.

 

Stiles beat his dad back home, small miracles. He trekked upstairs, careful not to bring too much mud with him. He kept one hand pressed to his side as he sent a text to Scott telling him he was home. There was blood oozing onto his hand and he’d need to clean that up.

Stiles stripped his shirt off, careful around the bite. That’s what it was, a giant bite. He winced and poked at it before he grabbed his phone and snapped a picture. He wasn’t going to risk it getting infected by taking off the bandage tomorrow during school to show Scott. This was a much more hygienic option. There was also less of a chance of Scott passing out.

He poked at the bite some more, trying to figure out what could have bitten him. It was probably a mountain lion, though it sure hadn’t felt like one. Nor had it growled like one. Stiles had spent last summer volunteering for his dad at the nature centre. He knew what animals were in the woods now, and he knew which ones used to be in the woods. Wolves hadn’t been in California since the 1960s.

If he hadn’t known he would have guessed a wolf had done this.

He bandaged himself up just as his dad came home and he hid the bite under his shirt. There was no reason to worry his dad.

 

Stiles woke up to Kesha brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack. He groaned and slammed his fist against his phone, trying to shut off the alarm. His peace and quiet lasted five more minutes before his dad knocked loudly on the door.

“6:45!” His dad called out, like it pleased him to get his son up this early.

“You’re a cruel man!” Stiles mumbled back as he pulled himself up. He prepared himself for the pain he knew was coming as he stood up, but it didn’t come.

His eyes shot open and looked down just to make sure he was really standing and doing things that should be causing him excruciating pain. He was, but there was no pain. His hand flew to his side and he didn’t even wince as he slapped where the bite was.

Had been, at least. He blinked as he looked down at the perfectly healed skin that was under the bloodied bandage. This was not good; or at least, this was very weird. This was not normal. He kept touching the freshly healed skin before he looked at his phone. He grabbed it, flipping through the photos, which were still there. It hadn’t been a figment of his imagination. There had been a bite. A really gruesome bite, from something that was most definitely not a wolf.

He couldn’t help where his mind immediately jumped to. Stiles tossed his phone to the side and rubbed his face. He’d been playing too many video games and watching too many bad B-movies. There was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

There had to be, even though he could smell his dad making himself breakfast with way too much salt. Before he could stop himself he opened the door where the smell just hit him stronger, and he called down to his dad. “Dad, what have we said about salting your perfectly healthy eggs?”

There. He heard something, like a stuttering. He narrowed his eyes and tried to focus.

“What are you talking about? I am making 100 percent perfectly healthy eggs.”

Stiles snorted. “My telepathy tells me you’re lying!” He closed the door and tried to calm himself down from an anxiety attack when he _heard_ his dad throw out the eggs he was making and start making new ones, all the while muttering under his breath.

Yup. Definitely something other than whatever his mind was jumping to. Perfectly good scientific reason. Yeah. Brains were those super tricky parts of your body that did things that surprised you but were actually totally, one hundred percent normal.

He closed his eyes and talked himself down from the lycanthropy wall, jumping back into reality. He focused on getting dressed and grabbing his backpack, ignoring the sounds of his dad plating their food. He was definitely just overreacting.

Stiles took one last look at the bloody bandage in his garbage bin before he ran downstairs.

The scent of eggs hit him full force and he took a deep breath. His dad hadn’t added butter or salt and he smiled in victory.

“Now isn’t this just delicious, father-mine? Good old protein and nothing else.” He scarfed his eggs, chugging down the milk his dad had put out.

“Now I know that’s not what you really want to talk about,” his dad said with a tired laugh. Stiles had to stop himself from touching his hip. How had his dad found out? His dad kept right on talking, “but I want you to know I’m proud, and surprised, that you didn’t go out last night.”

Stiles knew his face was slack with surprise. His dad gave him a look and he tried to fix his face to something more neutral. He took a non-drink from his empty glass. “Yup. That’s me. Totally reliable. Did you find the other half of the body, by the way?”

His dad narrowed his eyes. “Now how’d you know about that?”

“Oh, look at the time! Gotta get going or I’ll be late. Take care, you were out late, and those woods are treacherous.” He clapped his dad on the back and took off like a shot before his dad could guilt trip him into talking. Stiles had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from spilling everything, and he didn’t even know what _everything_ was.

Scott was waiting for him when he pulled into the parking lot and he ran over to their meeting spot, slamming his palm against the hood of Jackson’s car just to be spiteful as he passed by. Scott looked up and waved as Stiles practically crashed into him.

“Dude,” they said at the same time, and Scott laughed, motioning for him to go first.

Stiles collected himself. “You didn't text me that you’d got home!” Better to ease his way into this.

Scott looked sheepish. “My mom kinda caught me. I got lost and ended up at the hospital.”

Stiles laughed. “What really?”

Scott nodded. “Yeah, how lame is that? So what about you? Anything exciting happen to you?”

“Oh you know, nothing big. Except for this,” he tossed Scott his phone, open to the picture he had taken last night.

Scott’s face contorted and he went a little green. “Oh. Stiles! I thought you promised not to show me any of that best-gore shit again after the last time.”

Stiles slapped Scott on the back. “It’s not from that website. This happened to me last night.”

Scott looked at the picture again, turning the phone over and over. “What? What bit you?”

“No clue. That’s not the creepiest part. I woke up this morning, and it wasn’t there.”

Scott looked at him with wide eyes. “What? But how?”

“No idea.” Stiles cut off what he was saying when the best scent to ever have scent hit him, and his eyes cut over to Lydia. Of course, perfect Lydia Martin. His eyes tracked her as she walked passed him. “Nice perfume!” He called to her, and watched as she just kept walking. “And of course you ignore me, which is just typical.” He looked at Scott. “What?”

“You just, that was a really lame line. ‘Nice perfume.’ You don’t think she’s stupid enough to think you could actually smell it.”

Stiles made a face, and looked back to where Lydia had gone into the school. “You mean you couldn’t smell that? She smelled delicious.”

Scott looked at him oddly. “You sure you didn’t hit your head or something? Here, let me look into your eyes.”

Stiles punched his shoulder. “Shut up. And dude, that isn’t the _weirdest_ part. I found the other half of the body.”

Scott’s eyes went wide and he flailed his arms a little before he ducked their heads close together while they walked into school together. “You found the _body_? Did you tell your dad?”

“No. I was kinda distracted by the whole I’ll-be-grounded-until-I-turn-80 bit, and, you know, disappearing bite.” He gestured back to his side as he turned and pulled up his shirts to show the area that had been bitten, but was now completely healed.

Scott looked from his waist to his phone. “Wow.”

“Oh seriously, Stilinski, put that away. No one wants to see that.”

Stiles dropped his shirt and let out a sigh, trying to rein in the bubbling rage that started deep in the pit of his stomach every time he heard Jackson Whittemore talk to him. It was stronger this time, probably because of how on edge he was over what happened.

“Just ignore him,” Scott mumbled, wrapping his hand around Stiles’ arm and pulling him towards homeroom.

Stiles flipped off Jackson and his group of friends, sending him a nasty look to go with it. “Nice cologne, did you bathe in it?”

Scott snorted, and Stiles grinned as Jackson’s face morphed from easy maliciousness to rage as his friends started snickering as well. Scott kept pulling him along, but he heard the furious whispers around Jackson’s group even after he got to homeroom.

“Stop laughing.”

“Well, he is right, you did over-apply the Axe after practice,” Danny said sincerely.

Stiles could hear Jackson’s teeth gnashing together. He counted that as a win.

***

Beacon Hills hadn’t changed in the past six years. Derek couldn’t see if the shops were different, but the little things didn’t make Beacon Hills. The smell was the same; the feeling was the same. People went about as if nothing substantial had ever happened here, and nothing ever would. Exactly like they did when he’d left.

He had pulled into town around nine in the morning after a brutal haul through Nevada. He’d gotten a grand total of 10 hours of sleep since Sunday, but he still felt wired. He knew it was the adrenaline pumping through his body, pushing him since last night when he’d called to check in with Laura only to have her not answer. And then not answer again. And even after he had showered and tried to distract himself with mindless motel television, she’d still not answered.

So he’d left the motel, rushing past the exhaustion to get here as soon as possible. He knew that he was probably overreacting. Laura was fine. She’d get a good laugh out of his worry though, pat his cheek, and remind him that she was a big girl. He’d hear it as she didn’t _need_ him like he needed her.

It wasn’t how she’d mean it, but he couldn’t help but hear it like that. Laura would know immediately of course, and box him on the ear for thinking like that.

 _We’re all we have. You and me against the world_ , she’d remind him.

Derek remembered that as he drove the still-familiar roads into town. It didn’t calm him like he’d wanted it to, but it helped distract him from all the memories associated with the town. He couldn’t think of other things if he was focused on Laura.

The hospital parking lot was almost full, but Derek found a spot and steeled himself before going inside. He knew Laura had stopped by to see their uncle. It was the only place he knew she had been, so it was the only place he could start at. She had probably gone to their old house, but Derek didn’t want to see the burned up place ever again if he could avoid it.

It wasn’t hard to smile at the receptionist and get directed to his uncle’s room. He could smell his sister, but it wasn’t strong. She hadn’t been there for a few days at least. Her scent was strongest in his uncle’s room and he shut the door, looking at his uncle for the first time since he’d left.

Derek had let Laura take care of Peter’s arrangements, too caught up in himself after the fire to think about anyone else. By the time he’d snapped back to a semi-functioning person Laura had already moved them to New York and any chance of seeing his uncle was long past.

He looked pathetic sitting in the wheelchair the nurses no doubt maneuvered him into that morning. It was probably to stop bed sores. Derek could smell the sickness on him, and it pained him to see his uncle like that. Peter had been carefree before the fire. He had been all the kids’ favorite, and he’d made all of them feel like they were his favorite.

Derek approached Peter, wincing as he saw the burns up close. His throat was dry, and he couldn’t speak. He didn’t know what he’d say if he could. _It’s all my fault_ sounded stupid and pointless whispered into an empty room.

He swallowed, looking his uncle over. Derek couldn’t touch him. Peter was as good as dead.

Derek stepped back, remembering what he had come here for. He pulled out his cell phone, calling Laura’s phone. It didn’t even ring this time, just went straight to voicemail.

“Hey, this is Laura, you know what to do!”

“Laura, it’s Derek. I’m with uncle here in Beacon Hills. Still trying to get in contact with you.” He let out a breath. “If you’ve run off with some wolf I will kill you for worrying me.”

He hung up and took one last look at his uncle. He couldn’t form any words, but he knew this would be one of the last times he saw his uncle so he felt like he needed to do something. He was getting Laura out of whatever trouble she’d found herself in and taking them back to New York. He finally worked up the courage and put his hand on Peter’s shoulder, flinching as he saw his uncle not react at all.

“I miss you,” Derek forced out. It wasn’t what he wanted to say, but it was the truth. He missed his uncle. He missed his pack. He wanted it back, but he knew that wasn’t possible.

He left the room, ducking past nurses, doctors and other patients as he headed outside for the crisp December air. It stopped his eyes from watering, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed towards the woods. That’s where Laura’s scent headed, and he needed to follow it if he wanted to find her.

He could hear people in the woods as he walked, a group of them, and Derek made sure to keep out of their way. They were on the other side of the woods so he couldn’t hear any specific chatter, but he heard the dogs barking and whining. A search team.

Derek picked up his pace, getting anxious as he got closer to Laura’s scent. He could tell already that something was wrong. Maybe she was hurt, trapped somewhere, and police were trying to find her. He didn’t know much that could trap his sister; she was strong and capable. Not much scared her.

She was his whole world.

He stopped next to a tree. She was right around him, and she had to be sick. She smelled like she was beginning to rot, and there was dried blood.

Derek didn’t want to look, and he shut his eyes because of it.

She was his whole world, and half her body was at his feet.

Derek leaned against the tree and threw up, tears rushing to his eyes even as he tried to stop it.

He hadn’t been prepared for this. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He couldn’t look at her because her eyes were still open, blankly staring.

Derek wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, even as he felt his body starting to give out. He thought he’d become stronger than this, but he was starting to shake as he let out weak sobs. It was an awful feeling. He didn’t have control in the worst possible way.

He dropped to the ground, finally looking at Laura. Whatever had happened to her, whatever fight she had been in, it ended with her ripped in half. Derek remembered horror stories his older cousins would tell him, about hunters using swords to kill them. This wasn’t the same, the cut too jagged, like an animal had done it. He covered his eyes with his hands, not caring that he was smearing dirt on his face.

What was he going to do?

***

School wasn’t that much more interesting even with his apparent non-magical related super hearing and super smelling. He had tested it throughout English class while they went over what was expected from them on their final. He could smell pretty much everything if he focused long enough. He knew Scott had packed himself a peanut butter and fluff sandwich on white bread for lunch, and to balance it out had included a few celery sticks. He knew Mitchell, who sat two seats down from him, hadn’t worn deodorant that morning. He could even smell people passing outside, and know they were coming before he even saw them.

And the hearing? That took a bit more, but he could focus in on so many conversations, ones even outside his range of smell. He couldn’t smell where Lydia was, but he could hear her chatting with whatever girl she’d decided was her lackey for that week. He could hear Coach Finstock’s freshmen Sex Ed talk. He could hear the secretaries giggling in the office while they made copies.

He didn’t, however, have any sense of his father. He knew the police station was a little over three miles from the school, and his house was about eight miles. So there were boundaries to these newfound powers.

By the time he got to Spanish class he’d managed to map out most of the school in his mind. He was getting a bit of sensory overload and he spent the rest of the period trying to drown out the unimportant parts.

_His mind was like a hard drive, and he only kept the important bits on it._

He didn’t need to know what the cafeteria staff was talking about. He didn’t need to know about Matt from his photography class (and he was so glad that class was over at the end of the week) arguing with his parents about not taking his inhaler.

There were some people he couldn’t block out entirely though. He kept feeling himself stretching to try and sense his father in some way, no matter how much his mind told his senses that there was no way to reach him. He couldn’t shut out Scott, or Lydia, or Danny. Those three he didn’t mind knowing where they were at all points in time. Scott because he was his best friend, and Danny and Lydia because they were. . . them. His crushes. It made sense he wanted to know where they were.

Sure, their conversation during Latin class seemed to consist entirely of the movie Jackson had forced them to watch on Saturday, and how much Lydia thought Danny could do better than that dumbass Rob from two towns over, but it was still _important_ information.

Wait. Did this make him a stalker?

He wasn’t sure he wanted to be a stalker. Well, if the senses had a cut off place where they’d no longer work he was pretty sure as long as he didn’t actively go and try to get into that space he would be good.

There wasn’t anyone else that was really popping out to him. He was sure Scott’s mom would be someone he’d latch onto, but aside from that, he didn’t exactly have a wide group of friends, or people he cared about.

By the end of Chemistry he had started a list titled “Weird Shit that DOES NOT equal lycanthropy” that worked more like an equation that didn’t equal werewolves, because seriously? That was just ridiculous.

Stiles looked over at Scott, who was doodling in his notebook and he stopped himself from chucking a paper ball at Scott’s head. He probably wouldn’t even notice it bouncing off. His mind focused back on the body he’d found last night, which he had been trying to ignore, but he couldn’t shake the image from his mind. The eyes open wide and lifeless. Stiles hunched over his notebook.

The police hadn’t found her yet. He could go out there after school and use his totally-not-werewolf senses to re-find the body. He’d drag Scott. It would be an adventure.

He scribbled down a note telling Scott to skip practice so they could go find the body and become heroes, saving the day. When Harris wasn’t looking he covertly shot the note right at Scott’s ear and was pleased to see that his aim had also gotten a boost from the not-werewolf powers.

***

His great-grandmother had planted the first row of wolfsbane flowers sometime back in the 1800s. It had grown over the years with different members of the pack tending to the garden. When Derek was young he had asked his Uncle Peter why they grew something that could kill them, and Peter had laughed and pulled him into his lap.

“There are many species of wolfsbane, and each one has a different purpose. The ones that we grow aren’t the same as the ones that hunters use. We use this species to honor our loved ones in death.”

His uncle had been the one to take care of the garden last, but in six years it had started to overrun the original space. Derek knew his uncle would have been appalled at how wild the garden had grown, but it made it easier to collect as much wolfsbane as he needed.

The tradition was to tie a rope of the plant around the neck of your dead; that was all that was needed to force the transformation, but his sister deserved more. She deserved protection in death, as well as honor.

Derek had the grave dug by noon, and he had her buried by one. Making the rope took longer, but he was pleased with how it looked after he had finished planting the rope, completely surrounding her grave. He made sure to plant one end at the head of her grave as a place marker.

When he was finished he felt at a complete loss. He’d tried to pick out the scent of what could have done this, but it had drizzled the night before, and with no reference he couldn’t begin to know where to look. He dusted off his jeans, feeling numb as he walked towards the house.

This wasn’t what he’d wanted. He was alone. An Omega.

He fiddled with the inhaler he had picked up while he was carrying Laura’s body back to the house as he tried to think of how he would get answers.

***

All in all it wasn’t a complete mess of a first day with powers-that-may-be-supernatural. If nothing else, he hadn’t gone completely insane during lunch when Jackson had knocked into him, sending Stiles’ soup spilling all over himself and some girl from his gym class. Both of them ended up with burns on their hands but by the time Mr. Harris had dragged them to the nurse, Stiles’ burns had been reduced to nothing but a red mark. Small victories all around! No one got murdered, and he didn’t get hurt. Except the girl, but on a scale of one to _werewolf_ she registered at about a three. Besides, they bandaged her hands, and she’d mumbled to Stiles that she was fine when he’d asked just to be polite.

Now he just needed to grab Scott and they could go find the body before heading home for some nice long research into this whole possible-werewolf thing. Yeah, Stiles was pretty sure something was up, but research helped. Research was good. Research was his friend.

Scott didn’t even need to do anything, just be moral support. Stiles would be sure to tell him that in case he got cold feet at the prospect of _intense research_. He readied himself for the super inspiring speech he was going to give as Scott rounded the corner, rushing for his locker.

“Stiles, I can’t skip practice,” Scott said as he shoved his backpack into his locker. Stiles opened his mouth to protest, but Scott kept going. “Coach saw me and he reminded me that people who skip conditioning have a harder time making first line!” He was looking frantically through his locker for something as Danny passed them, giving them a friendly nod.

Stiles couldn’t help getting distracted for a moment as he gave Danny an awkward wave in return, before he turned his attention back to Scott. “But what about, you know, dead body in the woods? Is first line really more important than that?”

Scott blinked at Stiles, stopping his search. “I really want to be on first line.”

Stiles pressed his lips together, internally scolding himself for not getting into the pep talk right away. Now the moment was ruined and he couldn’t get back in the groove. Scott turned away, back to searching his locker. Stiles sighed. “Fine, fine. You go to practice and try to get on first line. _I_ will be in the library while I wait for you, but I am coming to get you right after practice, and we are going. Got it?”

“Wait. You aren’t going to practice? You’re going to the library?” Scott stopped looking in his locker again to gaze at Stiles like a wounded puppy.

“Research. For the thing.” Stiles dropped his voice to a whisper as a group of people passed them.

“What thing?”

Stiles made a crazy gesture with his eyebrow which Scott did not seem to understand at all. He sighed. “Just forget it. I’ll be picking you up! Go, go.” He waved his fingers in a sign of dismissal.

Scott took that as his cue to slam his locker shut in frustration and jog off in the other direction.

 

Stiles went right for the mythology section and was upset to find it pitifully empty all things considered: Twilight was stuck in between The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures and Interview with the Vampire. He let out a big sigh and kept looking. He grabbed all four of the encyclopedias they had, and the one werewolf lore specific book they had.

The books offered very little, all things considered. Nothing that didn’t seem like common sense. Full moon meant he would turn into a crazy monster, but another book said some werewolves were in control of themselves. Before he headed towards the computers he even did a quick reread of Prisoner of Azkaban, because if anyone knew their shit it would have to be JK.

It didn’t make him feel better because he was pretty sure that even if he _was_ a werewolf, and yes that possibility was looking more and more likely, there was no way Scott would ever be disciplined enough to use magic to turn himself into an animal to run alongside him.

He closed the book in frustration and piled it on top of all the other material he had collected. Aside from the encyclopedias he’d grabbed some fiction books as well. None of them had been all that interesting in answering his question of “Am I a werewolf?”

The hope that Google would be more helpful in answering that question was highly misplaced. He ended up link jumping, reading over much of the same lore he’d already read, but this time in between the facts were “true life experiences”. Stiles tried not to get too involved with those, since most of them were hosted on Angelfire and involved red font on black backgrounds.

He was mid-way through the wikipedia page about wolfsbane (and who knew there were so many species!) when he heard someone’s heartbeat pick up. He tried to ignore it, assuming that someone near him had just realized they were late, or failing, or going to fail. Finals were a stressful time and he’d felt a few other people freak out during lunch. This time, though, the heartbeat was insistent, and he couldn’t block it out. It was almost like it was Lydia or Danny or Scott—

Stiles jumped up like a shot, knocking back his chair. Scott, that was Scott’s heartbeat racing and as he narrowed in on it he could tell so much more. He could _hear_ the commotion around Scott. It was the sound of practice. Coach Finstock was yelling at them to keep running, to pick up the pace. Jackson was joking with Danny, and Isaac was whispering to Scott, asking him if he was alright.

He heard Scott cough, the deep sound that told him Scott was having issues breathing, and had been for a little while. He grabbed his bag and took off from the library in a sprint, jumping over the turnstile because he didn’t have time. He heard a few people shouting after him but he just kept running.

He pushed through the back door in time to see Scott drop to his knees. Stiles was still 100 yards out at least but he could _see_ that far out, like he was right there.

And then he was, pushing his way in between Isaac and Danny and Coach to get to Scott who was clutching at his sternum, coughing. Stiles distantly heard Coach asking what was wrong, and Danny was the one who answered, a lot calmer than Isaac, who was shaking, or Mark, one of their defenders who was so nervous he was starting to laugh. Stiles ripped open his bag looking frantically for the spare inhaler he carried for Scott.

“You’re an idiot,” Stiles muttered as he pulled it out. He stopped himself from going off until Scott had taken the inhaler from his hand. He knew it would take more than a few moments for the medicine to work, especially if Scott had been so bad that he _collapsed_. “Come on you idiot, you’re going to the bench.”

Coach Finstock was sputtering, going to the other side to help Stiles get Scott up. The circle that had formed around them moved, and no one said anything, not even Jackson. Stiles didn’t take his eyes off Scott though.

Scott coughed and leaned his head over. “Thought you were in the library?”

Stiles looked at Coach Finstock. He was staring straight ahead, eyes wide with worry. “Dude, you don’t even want to know. You’re so lucky.” He sat Scott down on the bench before sitting down next to him. Coach Finstock looked at the two of them.

“McCall! What happened?”

“Forgot,” Scott coughed, “to take my inhaler.”

“Well isn’t that just great. You’re lucky your buddy Bilinski decided to skip practice today so he could run to your rescue.” Stiles rubbed Scott’s back as he let out another cough. Coach Finstock didn’t even sound that angry, just worried.

“Yeah,” Scott coughed out.

“You’re both on the bench. McCall, I don’t want you back on this field until I get a medical note.” He pointed a finger at Scott and then turned back to the guys crowded around behind him. He clapped his hands, barking out, “get back to your runs!” He paused. “Unless you feel like you’re gonna drop. Then take a break. But only then!”

He gave one last look to Scott and Stiles before walking further away to watch the team keep running.

Stiles leaned close to Scott, offering him water. “What the fuck, Scott. Why didn’t you take your inhaler?”

“I lost it in the woods, I guess.”

Stiles groaned. “Really? When did you realize this?”

“Right before practice. I didn't think it would be that bad.”

Stiles resisted the urge to punch him. “If you weren’t dying I would hit you, I just want you to know.”

“You think I ruined my chance for first line?”

“I think it doesn’t matter, since you almost _died_.”

Scott coughed. It was deep and disgusting, and Stiles was surprised a lung didn’t come up with it. “I’m fine.” Stiles gave him a look. “Or I will be. So what did you mean I wouldn’t want to know?”

Stiles wrapped an arm around Scott’s shoulder, letting him rest again him, and continue to cough. “You really won’t believe me. But,” he dragged out the word, “I am eighty-five percent sure I was bitten by a werewolf last night.”

Scott snorted. “This is a good bedtime story, tell me more.”

Stiles shook him slightly, but not enough to push him off. “I can hear, smell and see things that I really shouldn’t be able to hear, smell or see. I heard your shitty Italian speech, and yes I am aware you take Italian when I’m taking Math and we’re on opposite sides of the building. I just _heard it_. And the things I can smell? It’s ridiculous. Lydia’s perfume? Jackson’s overspray of Axe? That was just the start. I knew you’d packed yourself a peanut butter and fluff sandwich in first period. I knew they had a last minute change from sweet potato fries to powder mix potatoes during Chemistry because I could smell it. And I saw you drop on the field from the back door as if I were right next to you.”

“You’re a super hero.”

Stiles lifted his hand and mimed shooting a web. “It’s ridiculously crazy Scott.”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“What can I? I didn’t see what bit me. I just know I have these powers now.”

“Why do you think werewolf? Why not something less... malicious?”

Stiles let out a breath. “The bite looked like a wolf bite. But for all I know the thing that bit me is already on it’s way, didn’t even know it turned me. It might have been trying to kill me. So I guess, we’ll just play it by ear.”

Scott snorted. “Sounds like a regular Stiles plan.”

“Hey now, my plans are awesome.”

“Your plans are poorly thought through at best, and not thought through at all at worst.”

“Eh! My plans got me super awesome powers. I’m also pretty sure I have super speed; you should have seen how quick I got here!”

Scott laughed-coughed as he pushed himself off of Stiles’ chest. “Help me up. The team is going in.”

Stiles looked up as Jackson passed them without a second look. He sensed Lydia behind him, greeting Jackson with a soft kiss but refusing to do more because _sweat_. Stiles ignored any more of that though, trying to help Scott up.

“Here, let me help you.”

Stiles and Scott both looked up to see Danny holding his hand out to catch the other side of Scott.

“Thanks man,” Scott said, smiling.

Stiles rolled his eyes as Danny smiled back, but his heart still skipped a beat when their hands brushed against each other on Scott’s back. Danny’s non-reaction brought him back to earth though.

 

“You know you don’t need to come with me,” Stiles said, stopping for the third time as they hiked through the woods.

Scott had his hands on his knees and he was taking deep breaths. “No. I’m not abandoning you to a possible fate of your sire coming to claim you for himself.”

Stiles snorted. “Pretty sure _sire_ is vampire exclusive.”

“Oh? Then what do you call them?” Scott asked, standing up fully and looking around in the waning light.

Stiles was quiet as he thought about it. “I don’t know. Probably like, pack leader or big daddy.”

“Or mommy.”

Stiles’ nose scrunched up as he thought about it. “That’s a little creepy.”

“You’re a little creepy.”

“Your face is a little creepy.”

Scott opened his mouth but then just shook his head laughing. “Come on, let’s go find your body.”

“Yeah, and then maybe we’ll use my super scent to find your inhaler.” Scott gave him a dirty look as they continued towards where Stiles remembered the body being.

He could smell what he assumed was the stench of slowly rotting flesh, and he followed that. He held up his arm in a sign to stop as the scent started to settle and Scott looked around.

“I don’t see anything, Stiles.”

Stiles narrowed his eyes, looking around. “I think this is where it was. Or at least, this is where the smell is the strongest.”

Scott snorted but he sobered up quickly when Stiles didn’t react. “You think you could track where it could have been moved to?”

Stiles tried to take a deep breath, but the cool, dry, winter air wasn’t forgiving on his nostrils and he just ended up sneezing. “Nah, I can’t tell where it goes. I’ve only been doing this for like eight hours, Scott. It’s a learning curve.”

Whatever Scott was about to say was cut off by his eyes widening as he looked off to the side. Stiles turned to see a man standing there, looking menacing in a leather jacket, and he jumped a little because Stiles hadn’t smelled the man approach. He still couldn’t smell him actually. Stiles could see the scowl on his face though, even as he trampled over leaves and branches to get closer to them.

“You two can’t be here.” Stiles blinked. That wasn’t the voice he was expecting out of the gruff-looking man. “This is private property.”

Stiles looked around, trying to remember what was possibly around here that could count as private property. The woods were part of the nature preserve, which fed into a few smaller houses, but most of those were on the other side of the wood. The only house that was on this side was the old burned-out Hale house.

Stiles' head shot up and his eyes widened as he realized who this was, or at least who he thought he was. The man – no, Stiles was almost positive that was Derek Hale all grown up – was glaring Scott into submission while he stuttered out an explanation about his lost inhaler.

Derek snorted out a breath and threw the inhaler at Scott’s chest. He fumbled to catch it as Derek turned around, storming off.

The wind shifted and Stiles got his first scent of Derek. It was woodsy, familiar in a way Stiles couldn’t describe. He didn’t smell like anyone else, and it wasn’t because he was fresh from out of town (Stiles could tell that he had some of the desert around him, like he had just gone through Nevada). It was like he wasn’t all human.

“Wait!” Stiles said and he took off after Derek, grabbing him by his shoulder before he could stop himself.

He found himself slammed against a tree for his effort. Derek’s face was still emotionless and Stiles heard Scott scrambling to get to them to break them apart.

“This isn’t private property anymore. Not sure if you realized, _Derek_ , but no one’s paid the taxes on the house since you and your sister left so _technically_ it’s owned by the state now—“ he got cut off by Derek’s forearm pressing against his neck.

Derek growled softly, even as Scott tried to push his hand in between their bodies to pull them apart. Stiles growled back, and even when it surprised him he tried not to show it because Derek was stepping back just a little, and Scott had pulled away entirely.

“Stiles,” Scott whispered.

“That’s right,” Stiles said, struggling against Derek’s hold. “When you attacked me last night the bite didn’t kill me.”

Derek blinked, his face morphing into pure confusion. “I didn’t Bite you.”

“Oh, so you just happen to be back the day after I got bit by a werewolf?”

“I-“ Derek cut himself off. “I _can’t_ turn you.”

“Likely story.” Stiles struggled some more until Derek let him go. He glared as Derek shuffled his feet, obviously trying to put words together.

“Bites don’t work like that. Turning doesn’t work like that. I’m just a Beta.”

“Wait, we’re just gonna skip over the whole _werewolves are real_ part?” Scott said, giving the time-out sign with his hands.

Stiles and Derek turned to him, before looking back at each other.

“Are they real?” Stiles asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Derek crossed his arms in return, glaring. “You tell me.”

“I don’t know! I’m just guessing based on the facts and trust me, the facts are pretty fucked up! All I know is I was attacked by _something_ last night, and there was a bite, and now there’s no bite, and I suddenly am a super hero!”

Derek opened his mouth, and then closed it. He took a deep breath through his nose before he answered. “We exist. And the only time a human can be turned is when an Alpha Bites them.”

“Like the Alpha of a pack?”

Derek nodded. “They’re different from normal wolves, Betas. Only they have the power to turn a human. So no, I didn’t Bite you.”

“Do you know who did?” Scott asked.

“No. I don’t. I just got here this morning. I didn’t even know someone had been Bitten until I saw you.”

“Then what? Were you just staking out the old haunt? Following this Alpha? Or is it just all coincidence?” Stiles asked, relaxing just a bit. Derek didn’t answer and Stiles sighed. “I just want answers, and you are my only answer-giver.”

Derek looked at him for a second and then at Scott. “Not here, and your friend shouldn’t come with us.”

“Hey!” Scott and Stiles said at the same time.

“I said _shouldn’t_ , not that he couldn’t. His asthma is still acting up, and we’re in for a walk. And I’m not slowing down for him.” Derek turned, walking away.

Stiles looked at Scott. “I’m not letting you follow him alone,” Scott said, grabbing Stiles’ shoulder as he tried to follow him.

“Why?” Scott made a few soundless gestures which involved finger-fangs and him making clawing motions. Stiles sighed. “Listen, I know Derek- okay maybe not know _know_ , but I know of him,” he corrected himself when Scott just looked at him disbelievingly. “His family used to live here in Beacon Hills until there was a fire. It killed everyone in his family except for him and his sister.” Stiles looked off to where Derek was still walking away. He wasn’t slowing his pace and at this rate Stiles would need to run to catch up.

“So? More reason for him to be off his rocker.” Scott shook him so Stiles was looking back at him. “Stiles!”

“Scott, don’t you have work?”

Scott looked at him disbelievingly. “You’re ditching me?”

“No. It’s not that, but Scott, I need answers. Maybe it will be easier to get answers with you not there being all accusing in the background.” He shrugged, trying to look non-challenging. He could barely make Derek out further away in the woods and he was itching to chase after him. “And if you are right, and he’s going to hurt me, I don’t want you to get involved with that. You’re a human and I’m no longer just that.” He looked at Scott, turning on the puppy dog eyes. “Go back to my car, take it to work, and be safe. I’ll meet up with you after I get done with Derek.”

Scott opened and closed his mouth. “I can’t believe you,” he said as he held out his hand for Stiles’ keys. “I hope he kills you and hides the body.”

Stiles grinned. “Guess we’ll put my awesome new werewolf powers to the test.” He turned to run after Derek and then stopped, looking back at Scott. “I wasn’t lying. If it does come down to a fight I wouldn’t want you there.”

“Stop seeming like a nice person, I know what you really are,” Scott grunted, turning and walking away dejectedly.

Stiles felt guilty for a moment and then turned, focusing his senses to sniff out Derek. He’d gotten decently far and as Stiles ran to catch up with him he found he couldn’t go as fast as he had running across the flat floor in the school. Running werewolf speed over the uneven ground of the woods just meant the bumps and dips came up that much faster. He almost tripped one too many times over branches he didn’t sense coming towards him before it was too late, and it hurt every time he fell. He didn’t slow down until he was side by side with Derek though.

He wasn’t even panting. “Name’s Stiles by the way. Stiles Stilinski. Just in case you were curious.”

Derek grunted, hands shoved into his pocket. Stiles was about to keep talking when Derek spoke up. “Your dad was one of the cops who talked to me at the station.”

“Yeah.”

“Just because you read a case file doesn’t mean you know me though.”

Stiles shrugged, putting his own hands in his pockets. “I was just saying that to get Scott to go away. He doesn’t exactly trust you.” Derek snorted. “So, how long have you been a werewolf?”

“I was born one.”

“Born one! Wow, so like, you had a mommy werewolf, and a daddy werewolf and together they made a baby werewolf, that makes sense. So if I were to have kids, it would pass on?”

“Over this way,” Derek said, nodding towards the clearing up ahead. Stiles could see the burnt out Hale house up ahead, and the scent of dead body was getting stronger. He’d been trying to ignore it, but it was concentrated by the house. Derek followed his gaze to the side of the house where there was upturned earth and he watched him, like he was waiting for him to say something.

Stiles pointed. “That’s the body. Why is the body buried there?” His eyes snapped to Derek’s hands, and now that he was focusing he could see dirt under Derek’s nails, and the healing of faint burns on his hands. “What did you do?” He stepped away as Derek held up his hands.

“I want to explain.”

“Get to it then.”

Derek kept his hands up. “My sister came here before me.” Stiles eyes widened as he looked back at the fresh grave. “She was here for other reasons, but last week she’d said she’d caught wind of something off here. That’s when I started driving over here.”

“The Alpha that Bit me?”

“I don’t know.” Derek looked down. “I hadn’t talked to her since Monday when I was passing through Chicago. And when I got here this morning I found her.”

Stiles turned back to him. “You need to tell the cops.”

“To tell them what? That some werewolf killed my sister? Stiles, she was ripped apart. It wouldn’t lead to anything.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “It looks like an animal attack. I can almost guarantee there will be fur on her body as well. They’d assume it was a mountain lion, or a coyote, or something, and call it closed. This way I could bury her with a little respect and not have to worry about drawing attention to myself.”

“But the cops are looking for a _killer_. They are running themselves ragged trying to find out who did it.”

“They have her legs. There will be enough evidence there to make them think it’s an animal attack. By the end of the week they will move on. Your dad won’t be overworked for long.”

Stiles balked. “That’s not the point. You can’t just _hide a body_. Society doesn’t work like that!”

Derek didn’t say anything for a long moment. Stiles was sure that he was just going to leave, conversation over and done with and any chances of more information gone before it even started.

“First rule. As much as we try to fit in with society, sometimes we have to follow our own rules to survive unnoticed.”

“What’s the second rule? Don't talk about werewolf club?” Stiles said before he could stop himself.

“Yes,” Derek said straight-faced. “Your friend knows. That’s the only person who can know. I’ll try to help you as much as possible, but you need to meet me halfway.”

“So what, you’re going to be my Mister Miyagi?”

“Do you only talk in pop culture references?”

“It’s a self defense mechanism to stop the panic attack that’s coming from helping hide a dead body!” He tried not to sound like he wasn’t freaking out, but from Derek’s look he wasn’t doing a good job. “How can you stand the smell? Or are you just accepting it as part of your guilt? Don’t tell me you’re actually planning on staying here. You have a hotel right?” Derek didn’t answer and Stiles threw his hands up. “Alright, I don’t want to be picky and come in and start giving you lectures on your life, but there is no way you can function like a semi-sane human-wolf-being camping in the burnt-out shell of your old house, which still has a few remains it in, might I-“ he was cut off by Derek’s growl. Stiles had gone off on a tangent again.

“I know.” Derek’s fists were curled and he was breathing heavily. “This isn’t easy for me.”

Stiles took a deep breath. When he spoke his voice was quieter. He knew he’d fucked up. “I know.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

Derek looked at him for a moment, like he could tell if he was lying. “I’m not planning on being here for long. I _wasn’t_ planning on it.”

“I’m sure you have a life back wherever you and Laura were living. A pack you two were part of?”

“We were the pack. Laura hadn’t gotten around to expanding us just yet.” He tipped his head back in thought.

“Laura was your Alpha?”

“She’s older, so she got the power after. We always knew it would be like that.” He shrugged and then looked at Stiles. “Technically, if your Alpha killed my Alpha, that means we’re pack.”

“Just like that?”

“For the wolf inside us, yes. For the human no. That’s where we differ from normal wolves. We have the same drive for pack and family, but our human side lets us rationalize it out a bit more. You don’t want your Alpha to be someone you hate, but sometimes it’s the only place you can go.”

“So I’m stuck with who turned me? Even if they don’t know I exist?”

“They’ll know you exist. The wolf inside them will tell them you’re here.”

“Will they come for me?”

“Eventually.”

“On the full moon?”

Derek shrugged. “It’s not an exact science. I don’t. I don’t have all the answers. I’m not this encyclopedia of werewolf knowledge.”

“Even though you’ve been one your whole life?”

“I can teach you to control yourself on the full moon, and outside of the full moon. The big picture things I can answer and help you with. I can help you survive.”

“You can help us survive.” Stiles gave him a challenging look.

“Yes.”

“You need me as much as I need you, don’t you?”

“Werewolves are stronger in packs,” Derek said simply.

“And we’re stronger with an Alpha. Even if you don’t want this Alpha as yours.”

Derek looked back to the grave. “As long as we’re together we can get by until we figure out what to do about your Alpha.”

“What if I don’t want him as my Alpha?” Stiles shrugged at Derek’s look of disbelief. “He killed your sister. He attacked me, tried to kill me for all I know. I could be a fluke. A loose end just waiting to get cut. I want to pick who I answer to.”

“It’ll be harder for you to resist him than it is for me. The drive to be accepted by him will be overwhelming.”

“Then you’ll teach me control. We’ll help each other.” Stiles bit his lip. “My instincts are already reaching out for my friends. I guess I see them as pack, and I know myself – I would never put them in danger.”

Derek nodded and took a step closer to Stiles, awkwardly reaching out and putting his hand on his shoulder. “We’re brothers now, Stiles. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Stiles snorted. “Empty promises there.”

Derek shook his shoulder, digging his fingers into his shoulder blade. “If I can help it,” he amended, “you just need to trust me, that’s all I ask. I’ll make this as easy and as safe as possible.”

Stiles could see how serious Derek looked and he swallowed, nodding. He stood up to his full height, looking Derek in the eye. “The whole trust thing will take a while cause I’m sure you’re just as full of issues as I am, but. Yes.” He gripped Derek’s forearm, the one that was still holding his shoulder, and squeezed.

Derek’s face didn’t change. He didn’t break into a smile, or make any declarations of friendship, but Stiles could feel him relax. “Come on inside. We can keep talking in there.”

Stiles’ face scrunched up as Derek pulled away, walking up towards the house. He followed at a slower pace, eyes darting towards Laura’s grave one last time. “I’m serious about this whole you-can’t-live-here thing. If only for my sanity. I don’t want to do secret werewolf training on condemned property. For all I know ghosts could be haunting here.”

“There’s no such things as ghosts, Stiles,” Derek said pushing open the door.

“Oh, I see. Ghosts are way too ridiculous, you’re right, but werewolves? Totally normal.”

Derek didn’t bother responding. It didn’t matter to Stiles; he just started to hum under his breath as he followed Derek into what looked like a burnt out dining room.

“Let’s get down to business! To become a werewolf!”

“There will be no singing allowed in werewolf school,” Derek growled, but Stiles counted it as a victory that he even made a joke.


	2. Episode 2: We'll do it winter break style (so we can watch X-Files)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yay I managed to post on time \o// This is new and exciting for me let's see how long that lasts.... (also argh AO3 formatting is the bane of my existence >.>)
> 
> Also! Not sure if it was obvious but I totally screwed with the canon timeline. I tried plotting out the original timeline with dates we were given and basically ended up wanting to shoot myself in the face because TEEN WOLF WRITERS Y U NO PLOT OUT BETTER? Sooooo that got highjacked and changed :|

“And get this, I won’t _actually turn into a wolf_ , which I’m a little upset about because how cool would that have been?” Stiles bumped the bright yellow volleyball back to Scott, but gently. He was still unsure of how strong he actually was. His reflexes were great, catching the ball when Coach Finstock tossed it to him without a second thought, but then he’d gone all saiyan and served the ball right into Greenberg’s face, breaking his nose.

Coach Finstock had been so shocked at the soft volleyball they used breaking someone’s nose that Stiles had been able to slink off into the crowd and avoid any lecture. He had no idea how he would explain that, and mentally added it to his list of “Shit Derek Needs to Teach Me” he had going in his head.

They’d had a good talk the night before, laying out in a small clearing behind the house. They didn’t talk about anything too heavy, keeping it to general questions about werewolves, and what supernatural creatures did and did not exist. Derek had tried to explain the feeling of turning, how the power felt coursing through his veins, but he was pretty shit with words.

Stiles could still envision it. He had closed his eyes while Derek talked and he’d experienced the phantom feeling. He knew if he worked hard enough he’d get it for real soon.

Derek told him all the benefits he’d get. Most of them Stiles had already known: the enhanced senses, the strength, the healing, but a few of them were news to Stiles. He’d been a little heartbroken when Derek said that most dogs wouldn’t be playful with him, instinctually submissive to the stronger wolf, but that had been brushed away with the assurance that almost nothing could hurt Stiles permanently.

“You won’t get sick. You could crash your Jeep tomorrow, wrap it around a tree, and you’d walk away. Short of decapitation and wolfsbane you’ll live.” Stiles had shut his eyes as Derek kept talking, but all he could think was that his dad wouldn’t need to worry about him anymore.

He’d lost track of time, not even noticing it get too cold because his magic-werewolf powers kept him running at a nice warm temperature. Which just made Derek wearing his leather jacket all the time a douchey move, Stiles gladly told him.

The only reason they had even stopped, because Stiles knew he was capable of talking all night, was the noise of Scott falling through the stairs. It had scared the crap out of Derek and him, and they’d gone running back inside, Derek all claws and fangs, until they’d heard the pained whimper of Scott asking for help.

He’d gotten away with only a few scratches, and Stiles used the stairs as a parting shot for why Derek needed to move.

Scott had stayed upset until Stiles had won him over with apology doughnuts and coffee this morning.

“So what? You just look like… something else?”

Stiles shrugged, leaning to catch the ball as Scott shot it too far to the side. “I had Derek change for me, and it looked more like a vampire from Buffy?” Scott just shook his head. Stiles sighed. “If you’re gonna wear the title of nerd at least live the culture. We are marathoning Buffy over break. At least until season 3 which is when we can jump ship to Angel, because I am not rewatching season 5, no way, no how.”

Scott laughed. “Whatever you say. My mom is working the Christmas eve night shift and then the Christmas night shift so I’m free for the normal.”

“Same here. Dad thought about taking off, but I told him I would be with you so not to worry too much. And hey, if he is around he’ll just have to deal with you and me playing Halo all day.”

Coach blew the whistle signaling that they could pack up and head to the locker rooms and Stiles enjoyed shooting the volleyball right into the netted bag Coach Finstock was holding open.

“Yes! I am amazing!”

 

Stiles was riding the high of being awesome the whole way through school. He felt like he was vibrating in some ways, like he could feel the power right beneath his skin. Derek had warned him that as the full moon got closer he’d start to get consumed by the sensation. The animalistic side would become more apparent and violent, but as long as he kept his heart rate down he could overcome it.

He wouldn’t have to worry about physically losing control until after his first full moon though. That was when the transformation completed, and he’d start to need to work harder on his control. It would take time, Derek had said.

Which was cool, because Stiles had all the time in the world.

He nodded to everyone he passed on his way to Scott’s locker, grinning like a fool. A few people even nodded back, total strangers attracted to his sheer animal magnetism or something. He’d need to ask Derek about that. It would probably take some time since he was pretty sure the last time Derek dealt with normal people on a regular basis was when he was in high school, and he’d deftly avoided all mention of his own past during their ridiculously long talk last night.

Stiles understood, and he was going to give Derek his space. Or at least, his emotional space. Derek was stuck with him physically. He’d said they were brothers and damn if Stiles wasn’t going to make him regret that.

He bounced over next to Scott and grinned. “So, you and me, skipping practice again? Or well, you aren’t skipping because you have your note, and I’m not because I’m thinking of dropping.”

Scott looked up. “You’re quitting?”

Stiles shrugged. “Thinking about it. I mean I have a pretty unfair advantage, and if I suddenly got super good wouldn’t it look suspicious? I mean, I was gonna ask Derek, just to get his input, but I don’t want to draw any attention to us.”

“But who would notice? If you did it gradually? No one is looking for werewolves.”

“That’s the thing, Scott,” Stiles dropped his voice, “I think people are.” Scott’s eyes went a little wide. “I mean, I don’t have any proof, and Derek hasn’t said anything about it, but just think about all the myths you hear. What always comes alongside werewolves?”

Scott paused, and then he gasped in realization. “Vampires?”

Stiles stared at him. “No, you idiot, hunters!” He banged his head against a locker. “I can’t believe you. We are definitely catching you up on your supernatural mythos. You are going to be the slightly more research savvy Xander to my Buffy, which is a reference you’ll get by the end of winter break I promise.”

Scott closed his locker, looking a little lost and unsure. “I don’t know. I mean, aren’t you throwing yourself into this kinda fast? You don’t even know Derek all that well, and you’re going and asking his opinion on things in your life, not to mention that he’s all that you’ve talked about today.”

“Well yeah, turned into a werewolf and he’s my only source of knowledge? The other potential source being something that tried to kill me? I’ll take my chances with Derek.”

“But, don’t you want to know if there’s a cure or something? There’s always a cure in stories, right?”

Stiles blinked. “Why would I want a cure? Scott, I feel awesome. Sure, the senses are overwhelming at times, but if I get those under control just think how amazing it will be! I mean, not just in high school but after we graduate, too. I’ve been toying with the idea of going into forensics, or some kind of police work, and these senses would help.”

“How do you know you’ll even get to be those things? What does _being_ a werewolf mean? There has to be a catch.” Scott dropped his voice.

“And I’m sure there are plenty of hurdles, but they aren’t going to make me want to give this up.”

“Shouldn’t you be keeping your options open, though? What if you end up not liking it?”

Stiles laughed. “What’s not to like?”

Scott made a frantic motion with his hands as Stiles started to head towards the front of the school. He jogged to keep up with Stiles. “What if Derek’s lying? Did you think about that?” He grabbed Stiles’ shoulder and turned him around.

Stiles let out a huff. He tried to think how to explain how he knew Derek was telling the truth, and how he knew Derek was trustworthy. He wasn’t going to mention Derek’s sister, because that would just freak Scott out. Besides, it wasn’t his story to tell. “It’s just,” he sighed and shut his eyes. “It’s a pack thing.”

“A _pack_ thing.”

“Yes.” Stiles tossed his head side to side. “I don't know any other way to explain it. I feel a connection with people, not just Derek, but other people. You. My dad.” Scott gave him a look. “Lydia, Danny, you know the usual suspects.” Stiles kept going despite Scott’s look of momentary satisfaction. “The people I care for.”

“You care for him?”

“Not yet. And I don’t trust him one hundred percent yet, either, Scott. I’m not stupid. But, he and I both said we’d try. We’re stronger together.” Stiles shifted his backpack. “I think if you spend some time with him you’ll see he’s not that bad.”

“I don’t really want to spend much time with him. He’s scary.” Scott said, but he started to follow Stiles outside.

“He’s growly for sure, and yeah, the wolf form can be scary, but he won’t hurt you. But here, I’ll make you a promise. We’ll go to my house, pop some popcorn, study for these finals and I will try very hard not to mention Derek, or werewolves. How’s that?” Scott stopped right before they got to the parking lot. Stiles looked at him, frowning. “What’s the matter?” He looked up and saw the problem immediately.

Derek was parked right next to his jeep, looking dour and pointedly ignoring the stares he was getting because his car was amazing, sleek black and totally not what Stiles had been expecting. But maybe he should have. It wasn’t like Derek was a mom-van type of person.

Stiles grabbed Scott’s arm, pulling him across the parking lot. They were getting looks as Derek finally looked up and showed some emotion beyond glaring when Stiles stopped in front of him.

He let out a low whistle. “Very low profile car there.”

Derek went back to his default face. “It was Laura’s idea.” Scott looked at Stiles, confused, but before Stiles could do anything in response Derek continued. “Get in. Both of you.”

Stiles saluted but then paused. Scott was staring at the car and then he turned wide eyes to Stiles. He sighed. “You are aware that we have finals tomorrow and Friday right?”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “You’re studying?”

“Is this a huge surprise? I’ll have you know I am an awesome student. Scholarly.”

Scott snorted and when Derek gave him a look he shifted on his feet, shutting up.

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I promised Scott we’d hang out.”

“That’s why I invited him along,” Derek said slowly, as if Stiles hadn’t heard that part. “That and we need a guinea pig.” Stiles perked up and threw his arm around Scott’s shoulder, pulling him to the car.

“I like the sound of this.”

“I don’t,” Scott mumbled as he was shoved into the backseat.

Stiles climbed into the front seat, petting the dashboard because it was just as pretty as the outside. He could hear Scott moving around in the backseat, trying to get comfortable, as Derek got into the car as well.

Most of the school was still staring at them as Derek pulled out and Stiles gave a wave to Jackson and his group as they passed by his car. The look of shock on everyone’s face was perfect.

“Touch the radio and die,” Derek growled as Stiles started to flick all the buttons on the console.

Stiles rolled his eyes as he turned up the heat. “Like I would change from your whatever-it-is you’re listening to. What is this? 60s rock?” He made a face.

Scott cleared his throat from the backseat. “So uh, what are we doing?”

“We’re going to start Stiles’ training.”

Stiles looked over. “Scott would make an awful sparring partner.”

“Yeah. I really would.”

“Not that type of training. Your senses. Sight, smell, hearing.”

“Wait, am I going to track Scott?”

Derek gave Stiles a sideways glance as Scott poked his head in between them. “I was thinking about it. Are you complaining?”

“No complaints from me,” Stiles said distractingly, reaching for the radio dial because it was now some bluegrass, wailing shit and whatever song was playing was destroying his hearing. Derek slapped his hand away.

“What would I have to do?”

“Run really fast, probably.”

“No. You’d just go into the woods. And keep going until we find you.” Derek pulled off the main road, heading to the Hale house.

They lapsed into silence, and Stiles closed his eyes taking in all the other things going on. Derek was tapping his finger against the wheel, and if he focused on it, the sound got as loud as a heartbeat. Then Stiles moved his focus to Scott. He was restless in the backseat, constantly shifting. He was twitching and his breathing was elevated. His heart was racing. Classic signs of nerves.

Scott was starting to sweat a little. Stiles could smell the salt in the air. He reached his hand back, grabbing hold of Scott’s knee. He squeezed it, trying to say that everything would be okay.

 

Stiles got home after eight. Derek had driven Scott to work, letting Stiles take a break from training to grab his car from the school parking lot, but Stiles had opted to go back to the Hale house with Derek and watch him putter around, trying to salvage as much as he could. Stiles had even been the responsible adult and pulled out the digital camera, taking a few snapshots to use for his stupid photography final.

Derek had finally kicked him out, and Stiles had reluctantly gone. He didn’t feel tired, even though he had spent the last four hours trekking through the woods. He knew he still had energy to study, if he wanted to. He sent a text to Scott, telling him that he was home, alive and still wolfy. He got a smiley face in response, and though Stiles knew it was too much to ask for an “I guess you were right” he took what he could from the message.

His dad was home and Stiles walked into the house silently, sure that his dad was sleeping. He was surprised when he saw his dad sitting on the couch and he dropped his bag. The look his dad was giving him told him he was in trouble.

“Hey dad!”

“Stiles.” His dad looked back to the manila folder, and Stiles crept closer, knowing it must be the case file. “You’re home late.”

“It’s not even nine,” Stiles argued.

“Is your Jeep running fine?” He asked.

Stiles swallowed, and took a seat next to his dad. “Yeah. Why?”

“Harley saw it sitting in the school parking lot when she was coming for her shift at seven.”

“Scott and I didn’t need it today. We got a ride from another one of our friends.”

“I heard about that. I believe the gossip going around the office was ‘an older guy in a muscle car’ but feel free to correct me.”

Stiles let out a breath. “Okay, before you start, he’s not that much older than me.”

“Uh huh,” his dad didn’t sound like he believed him at all.

“It’s Derek. From the Hale family.”

“Derek Hale?” His dad asked, setting down the manila folder. “What are you doing hanging out with Derek Hale?”

Stiles shrugged. “Just kinda, met up with him the other day. He seemed cool, back in town. Told him I remembered him. We have a few things in common, figured we could help each other out.”

His dad was staring at him, mouth opening and closing and Stiles realized how it could sound. The only reasonable thing in common both of them had was dealing with family deaths. He looked at his hands, bit his lip and wondered how far he could push it. He knew it would look weird, Derek and him hanging out. It would raise questions, and Stiles had been planning on talking with Derek, asking for a good way to explain it. But now that he was being quizzed by his dad on it...

Stiles looked back up. “So we just sit around and talk. Scott came today, so it’s not like I’m alone with him.”

His dad reached over and clapped him on the shoulder. He could smell the emotions shifting in his dad. He couldn’t tell them apart yet; Derek had said it would take time and they’d start practicing scenting emotions soon, but he could tell the ups and downs that were going through his dad’s head.

“I’m glad you have someone to talk to.” His dad said sincerely. “Just _try_ not to get on his nerves.”

Stiles laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, already done. But I’ve given him the full disclaimer that I am like a leech and that he is stuck with me until I decide otherwise.”

His dad chuckled and went back to his folder. “Well, at least just give me a heads up if you’re going to be out late.”

“But dad-“

“Especially with winter finals coming up. I don’t want to hear your excuses if you fail.”

“I won’t, dad. Promise.”

His dad gave him a look as Stiles tried to play innocent. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” He flipped through a few pages. “Where is Mr. Hale living exactly?”

“Currently?” Stiles floundered. “I think he’s got a hotel a few towns over? He’s looking around.”

“Well, when he gets a permanent address I’d like a copy of it.” Stiles opened his mouth to protest and his dad held up his hand. “I’m just looking out for my son. Give me that much.”

“Fine. When he gets a place, and if he tells me where it is, I will pass it on. Now my turn, what’s going on with the case?” Stiles leaned over and he caught a glimpse of an autopsy report.

His dad shut the folder with a laugh. “This is not a trade off. You don’t get to grill me after I have asked you my questions.”

“But dad. I want to know about the murder. You don’t know how much my high school reputation relies on being the most informed about police business.”

His dad gave him a look. “It’s not a murder.” Stiles’ mouth dropped open. He hadn’t been expect that so quickly. “Or at least, we don’t know. Preliminary reports indicate that the legs might have been ripped off by an animal. They don’t think that was post-mortem, either, from the amount of blood loss.”

“So it was just an animal attack?”

“When we find the other half of the body we’ll know for sure.”

“How likely do you think it’ll be that you find the other half?” Stiles asked quietly, sneaking the folder from his dad.

“It’s only been two days, so we haven’t searched far. But if it was an animal who knows how far the other half could have been dragged.” His dad snatched the folder back and smacked Stiles over the head. “Go upstairs and study. Stop bothering me.” He made a shooing motion and Stiles held up his hands in defeat.

“You got it. You’re the boss.”

“Damn right I am.” His dad settled back in the couch as Stiles walked up to his room.

He threw his book bag on the floor and then collapsed into his bed. He was still buzzing. He wasn’t sure that feeling was ever going to go away. He’d learnt so much today, or at least it felt like he had learnt a lot. By the end of the training he was able to find Scott almost immediately. Getting to him still took some effort, because running through the woods on high speed was hard.

Derek said it was so easy because he was tracking Scott, but when they had done it once more after dropping Scott off, Stiles had been able to find Derek quickly, even when he tried to run downwind.

Stiles took a deep breath, feeling how safe his house was. It was good knowing what was going around him. He knew he couldn’t keep _constant vigilance_ because it would just wear him out, but checking once in a while just to make sure was reassuring. His dad wasn’t opening the whiskey, or stress eating. Nothing wrong was going on.

Stiles shot up and ran to his window, opening it and looking down. He blinked because nothing was there, and then he looked to the left.

Derek tried to hide behind a tree but Stiles caught him. He sighed, heartbeat slowing back down.

“Way to be creepy Mr. Creepy McCreepster,” his whispered. He knew Derek could hear him anyway. “What is this? More training?”

“You weren’t supposed to notice me.” Stiles could hear him as if he were right next to him.

“Well you just spent all afternoon training my sense of smell. I could pick you out of a men’s washroom.” Derek snorted. “So what are you doing here? Want to recite poetry? I want you to know that my heart already belongs to someone else.”

Derek was silent but Stiles was getting used to these pauses. “New wolves sometimes have issues controlling themselves, especially if they don’t have their Alpha to keep them in line. You’re most vulnerable asleep and as it gets closer to the full moon the wolf might take over. I just wanted to make sure you stayed out of trouble.”

“So you’re going to be watching me sleep. Kinda creepy.”

“Your other option is possibly maiming and killing someone. So if you want that I’ll be on my way.”

“Shut up,” Stiles said, resting his chin on his palm, looking up at the night sky. The moon was getting close to full. Only five more days and then he’d feel what it was really like. “That’s not the only reason, is it?”

Derek took another moment to answer. “I am worried your Alpha could come looking for you.”

“The Alpha,” Stiles whispered. “He’s not mine. I don’t want him.” Derek didn’t say anything, but Stiles could still see him leaning against the tree in old lady Matilda’s yard. “So my dad knows about you.” Derek stayed quiet and so Stiles kept talking, explaining their cover story.

“Sounds reasonable,” Derek agreed once he was finished talked.

“I didn’t tell Scott about Laura.”

“Thank you.”

Stiles laughed coldly, feeling guilty that he wasn’t feeling guilty for keeping something from his best friend. “It was for me more than you. He wouldn’t understand. Not yet at least.”

“He’s not pack.”

“He will be though. You said yesterday a pack could have humans.”

“Yes, I did.”

Stiles licked his lips. “I wasn’t lying to my dad, you know. We can talk about things.” It was easier like this to bring it up. He could see Derek, and he knew Derek could see him, but they weren’t _together_. It was like talking to no one, just whispering your fears in the dark.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Derek snapped back, but he didn’t sound as defensive as he did in the daylight. Maybe he felt the anonymity as well.

“Maybe one day.”

“Not tonight.”

“No.”

“Get some sleep, Stiles. You have your finals tomorrow. I won’t bother you until the weekend.”

“But you’re going to still be a creeper outside my window, right?” Stiles said, laughing as he stood up.

“Just looking out for you.”

“Sure, sure. Night, Derek,” Stiles said as he slid the window shut. Now that he knew Derek was out there he could hear him, shifting around and getting comfortable. He knew Derek could probably hear him too, which just meant that he was definitely jerking off in the shower instead of bed tonight.

 

Scott and he were the talk of the school the next day. Even though finals were taking place all day students still found ways to whisper questions their way about Derek. Scott floundered under the attention, not knowing what to say, and Stiles found himself having to step on his foot one too many times because the word “werewolf” was just a breath away, Stiles could tell.

However, he was enjoying the attention a lot. Especially because Lydia seemed to be noticing him, and actually looking at him instead of through him. Sure, she could very well have been looking at Scott, but Stiles was right next to Scott for almost the whole day and it wasn't like she could ignore him completely! He was taller!

During lunch people actually came up and sat with them, instead of just at the same table. No matter what Stiles used to think, having people notice them with more than just contempt was actually great for his ego.

_Animal magnetism._ It was totally a thing.

The only downside was when Coach Finstock cornered him near the end of the day, demanding to know why he skipped conditioning two days in a row. There had been stammering from him, and vague threats of being benched forever from Finstock, and the only thing that saved him was Danny politely coughing behind them because Finstock had cornered him right at Danny’s locker.

Stiles had made a quick exit, nodding his head in thanks to Danny because he knew the boy didn’t use his locker. Everyone knew he took over Jackson’s cause it was closer to his homeroom.

The excitement had died down on Friday, since Derek had kept his promise and not made a surprise reappearance. He hadn’t even been at Stiles’ house the night before, or at least not anywhere Stiles could easily find him. Just to be safe Stiles kept his private business in the shower. No need to make it awkward so early in their friendship.

Stiles would still manage to scare him away eventually he was sure.

***

Derek checked into a hotel on the outskirts of town after the sheriff drove up to the house and knocked on the door Friday afternoon. He hadn’t answered the door, waiting upstairs in his old room until the sheriff left. He was glad he’d parked his car behind the house, because he really hadn’t been expecting the visit. So even though he hadn’t been planning on listening to Stiles, he ended up doing what the boy had wanted anyway.

In the long run he knew it would be for the better. If Stiles and he were going to be... friends, packmates, something... then some sacrifices would need to be made. He hadn’t been planning on any of this, but having another Beta had given him purpose and direction. He wasn’t an Omega anymore. He knew what he was up against now, and he had someone who could help him find his sister’s killer.

It wasn’t happening quickly enough, though. The Alpha wasn’t coming, not yet. Derek waited outside Stiles’ house two nights in a row. Nothing happened. Stiles had nightmares, but they weren’t related to the Alpha.

On Saturday he bucked up and called his old landlord, canceling his lease for the end of the month. That had been an argument, with her demanding a full month’s notice, and him having to try and convince her that a family emergency was a good enough reason to wiggle out of the cancellation fee. He knew he’d have to go back to New York after the full moon, if only to pack a larger suitcase, and she told him they would have words when he got back.

After he called her, and his old job, he went out in search of a new apartment. He hated the mundane normally, but there was something calming about it, and doing these things helped distract him from the fact the he was alone. He’d promised Stiles he’d give him some space, and he would. Stiles was a new werewolf, and while some of his actions towards Derek in the past two days had screamed _we are pack_ , Derek didn’t want to believe it. Not yet.

So he found a new apartment that he could move into on January 1st, and then he went looking for a part-time job so he could pretend he was a member of society. It would stop questions from being asked, or at least too many questions.

He wouldn’t tell Stiles about the apartment just yet. He’d let him think that Derek was going to stay at his house. It was amusing watching him spaz out about everything when he went into lecture mode.

***

Stiles woke up Monday feeling like he was going to burst out of his skin. His head was cloudy, like too much was stuffed in there. He’d spent the first two days of winter break with Scott, a quiet day of raiding the store for as much junk food as he could possibly stomach before going home and playing Halo. He’d been planning on spending the night Sunday, but around eleven he’d started feeling off, and after he snapped at Scott for no reason, he’d decided against it.

He was on edge. Tomorrow was the full moon and he knew everything he was feeling was just in preparation for that.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door.

“Go away,” he muttered, burying his face in his pillow.

“Scott’s here,” his dad said.

Stiles groaned. He didn’t want to see Scott. His dad he could handle, there was something calming about being around his dad, about thinking about his dad. But anyone else just raised his hackles. “Tell him I’m sick.”

“What?”

Stiles raised his voice. “I’m sick!”

His door cracked open and his dad peeked in. He took a look at Stiles and then walked closer to him, coming to sit on the edge of his bed. “You sure look it. Late night?”

Stiles groaned again and buried his head back in his pillow. “Something like that.”

“Well, I suppose I could be persuaded to take pity on my son, and tell his friend he’s not feeling well.”

Stiles peeked out from his pillow. “Could you? Tell him I’ll text him, or skype him, but I just can’t be in the same room with him. I’ll be better Tuesday for our Big Wolf on Campus marathon.”

His dad laughed, rubbing his back. “That’s a pretty specific time.” Stiles just grunted. “Alright. I’ll pass on the message that you two will be back to your normally scheduled tomfoolery tomorrow.”

Stiles groaned. “Who even says _tomfoolery_ , dad?”

His dad cuffed him lightly on the back of the neck, but didn’t respond as he got up and left, closing the door behind him. Stiles tried to focus on the feeling of calm he had around his dad, but his mind was never good at staying on one thing, and he found himself drifting quickly. The longer he drifted the more agitated he got.

He pushed himself up when his phone buzzed and glared at it when he saw it was a text from Scott asking if he was okay. Stiles let out a rush of air, reminding himself that there was no reason to be upset. It wasn't a big deal, and Scott was just looking out for him.

He pressed Scott’s number and didn’t have to wait long for him to pick up. “Scott, Scott listen to me,” he tried to start with, to take over the conversation before it started.

Scott was already talking though. “Stiles! Are you okay? What do you mean _sick_? And what is Big Wolf on Campus?”

“I mean,” Stiles took a deep breath and then let it out as slowly as he could to calm his racing heart. “I mean werewolf stuff, Scott. The full moon is tomorrow and my body is _freaking out_. Hence the ‘Big Wolf on Campus--”

Scott cut him off. “See! I told you! This stuff was bound to happen.”

Stiles looked at his hands and closed his eyes when he thought he saw claws. He knew he was hallucinating; he couldn’t be turning already. “Scott. I knew this was going to happen, Derek had told me. I just wasn’t expecting it to feel like this. Everything but my dad is putting me on edge, and I think I’m starting to shift even though Derek said that wasn’t possible because the transformation wouldn’t take over fully until after the full moon and Scott I really think I’m starting to freak out a bit here.”

His breath was coming in short pants. He hadn’t expected it to overwhelm him this much. He was too small for his body, and he was pretty positive that his fingers were turning into claws because he could _feel_ the nails pushing out.

Scott was saying his name over and over but it was too much for his senses.

“Scott. Scott I need to go.” He hung up the phone and pressed it into the bed. He felt it buzz under his hand but he ignored it. He focused on breathing in and out. He focused on his dad, who he could hear puttering around downstairs.

“You look like shit.”

Stiles’ head snapped up but when he saw it was Derek he let his head drop back down. “I’m feeling the effect of the moon. Everything is pissing me off, like more than normal.” Derek stepped away from the window, leaving it open so Stiles could feel the cool breeze coming in. It did help, and Stiles moaned, climbing out of bed to sit by the window. “I haven’t even had a chance to do any more research either.”

“It’s fine,” Derek said awkwardly, and Stiles glanced at him.

“You don’t remember the first time you changed do you?”

Derek shrugged, and took a seat in his computer chair. “I didn’t change until I was a teenager, but I started training for it when I was younger.” Stiles was quiet, waiting for him to go on. “It didn’t stop me from completely losing control the first time I shifted anyway. My uh- my dad and uncle had to chase me away from the highway.”

Stiles snorted. “The highway is like 20 miles out or something.”

“You lose track of how far you’re going when you lose control like that. I didn’t hurt anyone, except myself. And my dad. Gave him a black eye for about five minutes, I think.” Derek swallowed and Stiles could feel the tension in his body. “My family made fun of him for awhile, so that’s the only reason I know it happened.”

Stiles didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t been expecting a conversation about family. He didn’t know what to add.

“We should get you out of here,” Derek said, standing up. “You started to shift.”

Stiles looked at his hand. “I thought you said I couldn’t? Not till tomorrow.”

“I may have been wrong.” Derek scowled when Stiles laughed. “I really don’t know what I’m doing, and each person can be affected differently by the Bite, depending how balanced they are.”

“Well I am definitely not balanced in the slightest.”

It was Derek who laughed this time, a sharp snort through his nose. Stiles stared at him, wide eyed. “I can think of a lot worse people I would want to be dealing with right now.”

“Someone like Scott?” Stiles asked. He loved his best friend, but he was sure that if Scott had been Bitten instead that Derek would be having a much harder life right about now.

Derek shook his head. “I’m not naming names. I think any other teenager would have been awful. Now come on, let’s get out of here.”

Stiles stood up, stretching. “I should probably actually get dressed.” He was still wearing his pajamas but Derek just rolled his eyes.

“We’re going running. And maybe if you get violent I’m going to throw you into a tree. Wear whatever you don’t mind getting destroyed.”

Stiles looked at his clothes. “These clothes it is.” He grabbed his phone, and debated calling Scott back. He was feeling better. “I should probably call Scott and apologize.”

Derek didn’t say anything as Stiles decided against calling, going over to his laptop. Scott was online, and Stiles pulled up a video chat.

“Stiles!” Scott called the moment he popped up. Stiles grinned, waving. Scott’s face morphed and he pointed frantically to what Stiles assumed was Derek lurking in the background.

“Yes, that’s Derek, being a creeper.”

Scott looked gutted. “But you said you were _sick_.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I said I was sick to my dad because I couldn’t tell him I’m starting to wolf out. Derek is taking me running through the woods so just in case I lose control he’ll be the only thing I can hurt.” He heard Derek scoff and he flipped him the bird without taking his eyes off of Scott. “I’ll be back to normal on Tuesday, okay?”

Scott bit his lip. “Are you sure? I mean… the transformation won’t kill you, will it?”

“No, Scott, it won’t kill me.” He did give Derek a look, who just sighed and started climbing out the window. “Anyway, I’ll see you on Tuesday, bright and early. Or probably mid-morning is more like it. Either way. Oh and you’re my alibi for tomorrow night. If my dad asks, I’m sleeping at your place.”

“What, but?” Scott flailed.

“Scott. I’m going to be turning into a werewolf whether or not you cover for me. It will just make my life a lot easier if you tell him I’m with you.”

“Why don’t you just tell him you’re with Derek?” Scott muttered and Stiles just sighed.

“Maybe next month. But for now, no.” He frowned as Scott still seemed like he wasn’t going to go along with the plan. “Please?” Stiles drew out the request into a whine.

Scott huffed and threw his hands up. “One day you are going to need me and I’m just going to turn my back on you because you’re a terrible person.”

Stiles clapped his hands in delight. “I owe you one man.”

“You owe me like five hundred,” Scott mumbled but he waved as Stiles cut off the video chat.

Stiles shut his laptop, spun around and grinned. “Let’s go.”

***

The woods seemed a lot smaller now than they had as a kid. Derek had to keep redirecting the two of them every few miles, but even if it seemed cramped, Stiles was enjoying it. He flopped down on the ground, not caring that he was getting dirty. They were both sweating, having been running for a few hours now, and Derek watched as Stiles stretched.

“Ah, that feels good!” Stiles laughed. “I actually _feel_ like I’m in control.” He tilted his head back and looked at Derek. “This was an excellent idea.” Derek snorted. “Guess you’d be full of good ideas, considering you’ve been a werewolf for so long.”

They lapsed into silence and Derek sat down on the ground next to Stiles, soaking in the serene feeling of the woods. His pants were getting dirty and wet, but it was okay. The motel had a coin operated laundry room. He’d sacrifice his pants for the feeling of pack he was getting from this moment.

“Hey Derek?” Stiles asked, and Derek grunted in reply. “Can you tell me what it’s like?”

Derek wasn’t stupid enough to not know what Stiles was talking about. He closed his eyes, remembering every full moon since he’d left Beacon Hills. He’d spent them in the apartment with Laura, or taking walks around their neighborhood. Nothing like what it had been like when he was a kid. Nothing like what he was going to give Stiles.

“You’re going to lose control,” he finally settled on.

Stiles snorted. “No shit. But what does it feel like? Or are you gonna tell me that’s one of those things I have to experience for myself?”

Derek shrugged. “It is pretty indescribable.” He broke out into an uncontrollable smile at the look Stiles gave him. “It’s different for everyone. I can’t tell you what it will feel like for you.”

“Will I recognize you?”

“Possibly. It depends on your mood. It depends on who you think pack is. It depends on a lot of things.”

Stiles let out a breath. “What will help me gain control? Or is it just time and different for everyone?” He was smiling, but Derek could feel his frustration at having no clear-cut answers.

He tried to think about how to explain anchors, and how they change month to month if you’re not stable enough. He was terrible at words so he used his mom’s. “Think about what you care most about, and hold onto that. It’ll keep you human.” He looked at Stiles, who was staring open mouthed at him. He ducked his head. “That’s the best way I can think to describe it.”

Stiles leaned back, staring up at the darkening sky. They’d probably need to head back soon, just to make sure they hadn’t been found out by Stiles’ dad.

“Stop thinking,” Stiles mumbled. “It’s like I can feel your brain running from here, and I’m not even trying.”

Derek snorted. “What are you doing? Communing with nature?”

Stiles shrugged. “I don’t even know. I just know it feels like I’m connected with the whole forest right now. I can hear and smell so many things.”

“Good. Hold onto that. It’ll be helpful tomorrow.”

“What? So I don’t run out of it and have you chase my ass around town?”

Derek nudged him with his boot. “I’ll definitely tackle you before you make it out of the woods.”

“Try me, old man.” Stiles nudged back, twisting his leg in a way that probably hurt. “I will outrun you, and give me some time in wolf form and I will pin you like Nala did to Simba.”

Derek stared at Stiles slack-jawed, unable to stop himself. They’d only known each other for a few days but every time Derek thought he was getting a grip on how Stiles’ mind worked the kid threw another curveball at him.

“Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies,” Stiles muttered, reaching up to push Derek’s mouth shut. He didn’t even open his eyes. He just _knew_ apparently, and it shocked Derek enough that he actually let Stiles do it.

He swallowed, trying to get his footing in the conversation again, but Stiles had already moved on to musing about what kind of danger they would run into during the full moon and Derek’s only response was to remind him for the seventh time that fairies weren’t real, and if they were they definitely wouldn’t be child abducting horrors like in Torchwood. Or at least Derek really, really hoped.

***

Derek was already waiting in the motel parking lot when Stiles got there mid-afternoon. He was starting to feel his blood heating up, and the jumpiness was coming back. He had texted Scott to make sure they were clear on the cover story. He’d also included a link to the wikipedia page for Big Wolf on Campus just in case they got asked about it later.

Derek took one look at him and stepped away from his car. “Come on, we’re walking. You look like you need it.”

Stiles nodded, following along silently. He didn’t think he actually felt that different, but because he was looking for every little change, anticipating it, he could feel everything. He didn’t talk the whole time they walked to the woods, or even when they started running once they were a safe distance from the road. He just focused on his body and how it felt.

Derek didn’t push him, though Stiles could feel his eyes on him the whole time. Stiles didn’t think he was waiting for a freak out, but he could tell it was a more cautious approach than Derek had taken the day before, when his observation had been focused more on their surroundings, making sure they didn’t stray too far.

Stiles could still smell the search teams they had, but there was no one currently in the woods. Stiles knew this because he could hear almost everything. He thought it might have to do with how much he had paid attention yesterday. He was noticing things he didn’t normally pay attention to, but he could tell where deer were, and where a few coyotes were trying to run away from them.

He could even tell where a mountain lion was starting to hunt and if he had to guess the thing had to be two miles from them.

“This is ridiculous,” he breathed, finally slowing to a stop. Derek turned and looked at him. He didn’t say anything, just quirked his head. Stiles grinned widely. “Amazing. But so ridiculous. There’s a mountain lion like two miles that way,” he pointed even as Derek glanced off to the side.

“There is,” he said, nodding, and then a faint smile was coming across his face. Stiles could only guess what he was thinking, and he wondered if he was remembering what it was like. He’d lived the past six years away from here, who knew when the last time he’d run like this had been.

Stiles wasn’t stupid enough to ask.

“Come here,” Derek said, looking up at the sky.

It had gotten dark quickly, the perks of winter. Stiles could feel his body begging for the change, and he wanted it so badly. He wanted to run completely disconnected from his human thoughts. It would be the greatest escape.

He didn’t even think, stepping into Derek’s personal space, and Derek let him.

He froze, human brain kicking back in as Derek wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him the rest of the distance, until he was standing in a loose hug. He was suddenly running on all cylinders, his mind yelling that this was weird and wrong, but the other part of him wanting to reach out and bury his face in Derek’s neck.

This is what Derek had meant, when he talked about there being two minds. Your human self had thoughts, but your wolf just knows.

“What do I do?” Stiles asked.

He heard Derek swallow, and suddenly it was awkward all around. “It’s uh, it’s how my parents kept track of younger wolves. We’d try to imprint our scents so deeply in the wolf’s mind that even if you completely lose control and nothing short of pain will bring you back, you’ll still know to listen to us. You’ll still know to come back to us.”

Stiles thought about it, but the wolf inside him was already forcing him to relax. He was more instinct than anything else and he buried his face in Derek’s neck, taking in the clean, earthy scent that was uniquely Derek. He’d never intentionally taken in anyone’s scent yet, and he promised himself that he would do that first thing when he got him to his dad. He needed that connection because even though he had joked about it, smelling Derek made him truly think he could track him anywhere.

Derek’s stubble was scraping against his own neck, and Stiles shivered. They were imprinting on each other, that was the only thing that was racing through his mind.

His wolf was howling in his mind. This was his pack.

 

Being a wolf was like watching the world through an old sepia film. Stiles could tell what was going on, and sometimes he had moments of grabbing hold of his body and being in control. Mostly he let himself be taken on the ride.

He could feel Derek running beside him the entire night, and when he had moments of clarity, he knew he was being herded. He knew he was trying to reach his other packmembers, he could _feel_ them far away, too far away, but Derek would growl a warning every time he tried to head towards them.

Stiles had tried challenging Derek, growling back and trying to wrestle him, but the wolf was in full control during that time and Stiles hadn’t been able to use any human tactics against Derek. Deep down he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to win even if he had been more balanced. He had been thrown into a tree after all. He remembered that part clearly.

That was the one thing he had been pleased with when he had woken up in the other bed in Derek’s motel room; he had remembered the night before. He hadn’t been expecting to with all the myths he had been reading, and Derek hadn’t seemed positive that he would.

He rolled off the bed, scratching his stomach as he walked to the bathroom. He could hear the water running from Derek taking a shower, and he sat down right outside the bathroom. He could feel the wolf at the surface of his mind, and he didn’t feel the need to run from it. Running around last night and letting it take control of himself had helped him feel more connected to the wolf.

He kicked the door with his bare foot. “Leave hot water for me!” Stiles heard Derek laugh and he kicked the door again. “I’m serious!”

“You seriously think there’s hot water to begin with?” Derek asked and Stiles rolled his eyes.

“Very cute. I need to at least wash this dirt out of my hair. Since you know, I got thrown into a tree!” Stiles looked down at himself and blinked.

He was naked except for his boxers. He hadn’t even realized, feeling so comfortable with himself. He blinked again, and he could _feel_ his human mind coming up, all his insecurities coming up because he was practically naked in a motel room with this guy he barely knew.

_Pack_ , the wolf whispered, but Stiles ignored it, grabbing his wadded up dirty clothes, and grudgingly putting them on.

He was back in the clothes when Derek opened the door dressed in only sweatpants. Stiles frowned because he could see the steam coming from the bathroom.

“No hot water my ass,” he grumbled, trying to push down his blush because he’d been _naked_ and that wasn’t cool! He barely took off his shirt to go swimming with Scott. Nudity and him were not good friends.

Derek was looking at him oddly and Stiles wondered if he could smell his insecurity. He probably could.

“Give me your clothes.”

Stiles almost tripped off his own two feet as he walked into the bathroom. He turned around blinking wildly. “Excuse me?”

Derek rolled his eyes and held out his hand. “I’m doing laundry. Give me your clothes so I can wash them.”

Stiles stared at him. It made sense, he couldn’t exactly go back to his dad’s house in dirty clothes and expect him not to ask questions. But... “what would I wear?”

Derek slowly pointed to his small bag. Stiles shifted, unsure. He could feel the battle going on in his head between what was acceptable by his human side, and what the wolf instinct thought was alright. Derek wasn’t his friend just yet, not a good enough one to share clothes with, but he was _pack_. And that overrode the human side in the wolf’s mind.

Stiles walked to the bag and grabbed the first shirt he saw and the other pair of sweatpants, waving them in Derek’s face before he went into the bathroom to take his shower.

“Don’t forget to text Scott back!” Derek called. “Your phone’s been going off since six.”

Stiles groaned as he turned on the water, still blessedly hot. He’d do that as soon as he was clean. He had so much he wanted to tell Scott.

***

It was weird being back in New York. There was already a disconnect that this wasn’t home anymore, and he’d only been gone for two weeks. He could feel the emptiness here, and everywhere he went reminded him of Laura, and there was nothing to distract him from that. Back in Beacon Hills he’d at least had Stiles to talk non-stop and make him forget his own problems. But now he’d been left alone for the first time since finding out Laura had been killed and it wasn’t good for him.

He knew he looked like shit, and all it did was make his landlord sigh at him. He’d gotten in on Christmas day, and she’d taken one look at him and declared that he was telling the truth about a family emergency. He didn’t tell her what it was, that Laura was _dead_ but he felt like she knew.

It wasn’t as therapeutic packing up their apartment as he had hoped, and he ended up trashing, and then untrashing, all the pictures they’d had of their family. He tried to only bring what he knew he’d need, but he found himself boxing up more stuff than he expected and shipping them off to his new apartment.

It would give him something to do if the Alpha was as slow at tracking down Stiles as Derek was beginning to fear. Each day Stiles would text him in the morning telling him he was alive, and then each night he would say the same. Sometimes he even threw in another text throughout the day, but mostly it was just Derek alone in his own head. It wasn’t pleasant and he really wanted out.

He kept second guessing himself. He kept doubting himself. He wasn’t prepared to be in charge of some newly turned Beta, and it would just be better for all of them if he ran up to Maine or something and hid out there.

He spent most of his time on the drive back thinking about how he could veer off road and Stiles would never be able to find him. Laura and he had dropped off the face of the planet before, they could do it again. The only thing that stopped him was that starting on Tuesday, after he had told Stiles he was coming back, he kept getting texts asking when he was getting back, and to send him pictures of different states.

The only thing Derek could do was explain he wasn’t going through Arizona, or Florida, or _Alaska, are you trying to get me to kill you?_

He didn’t know if Stiles was doing it on purpose, but it made the trip back easier for him. He still felt a sharp sting when he got back to Beacon Hills and opened the door to his empty apartment.

He took one look at the blank white walls, dropped his suitcase, and pulled out his phone. He was embarrassed but he couldn’t deal with this on his own. He wasn’t cut out to be solitary, no matter how much he thought he might be able to manage. He needed a pack, and right now that pack was Stiles.

***

By Wednesday afternoon Scott had implemented a “no werewolf policy” which in retrospect was only fair because Stiles had been talking a lot about the full moon, and everything he had done, and the list of exercises Derek had given him to practice with his senses. He talked about Derek a lot too, unable to stop himself because Derek was the only other friend he really had.

He tried though, for Scott’s sake, to pull off normal.

But only on the condition that Stiles got to smell him.

Scott hadn’t understood how much it meant to Stiles when he just opened his arms and let Stiles bury his face in his shoulder. Scott smelled like clean cut grass and it matched closer to Derek than his dad, who Stiles had managed to smell by grabbing him in a strong hug when he got home.

It felt good to be able to tell where his pack was, especially since he could feel his wolf missing Derek. He could smell traces of Derek, but it wasn’t the same, and Stiles slept over Scott’s each night because he was worried that he would lose control and run off in the middle of the night looking for Derek.

Scott filled that void. They got through most of Buffy (Scott didn’t appreciate it) and then started on Stargate SG-1 (which Scott got even less) before Stiles gave in and just resorted to playing first person shooter games with Scott. It wasn’t a complete waste, and Stiles still found ways to fit in his training.

He knew he was getting better because when he got a text from Derek telling him that he was just crossing into California, Stiles swore he could smell Derek getting closer. He knew it was probably all in his head, but it was a comforting feeling. It soothed his wolf.

 

Derek had an apartment. That was the only thing Stiles could think as he stared at the door to apartment 4 in the quiet little complex on the other side of town. He could hear Derek on the other side of the door, and he knew Derek could hear him, what with Scott bouncing from foot to foot, but he still couldn’t bring himself to knock on the door.

“Stiles, what are you doing?” Scott whispered, and then he jumped back, arms flailing, as the door swung open.

Derek looked awful and before he could stop himself Stiles found himself hugging him. The wolf had been too close to the surface. It wanted to know how Derek was doing, _he_ wanted to know, and Derek was awful at words and his scent wouldn’t lie. Stiles couldn’t pick out the emotions, but he got the sense of darkness, depression, and he squeezed tighter, stepping completely into Derek’s space.

Derek returned the embrace, doing his own check. Stiles had his dad and Scott to keep him sane, but Derek had been alone this past week. He couldn’t imagine being alone like that.

They broke the hug at Scott’s polite cough. He looked around, and Stiles could see why he was so edgy. There was a family down the hall, watching them. He recognized them vaguely, a girl from his English class, and he was about to wave awkwardly but Scott just pushed him into Derek’s apartment.

“Smooth,” Scott said, watching Stiles trip and catch himself, spinning to look around the empty apartment. There were a few empty boxes set up as furniture, and Stiles could only assume they had carried the books that were piled into the corner of the living room.

“Hush you.” Stiles turned to Derek and grinned. “So you actually got an apartment. I thought you were just gonna live out of your car or something.”

“I can still do that,” Derek said. “But who knows how long it’ll be until the Alpha shows up.”

“Or if he even will,” Scott pointed out, looking around like he couldn’t believe he was here.

“He will,” Stiles and Derek said at the same time. Derek gave him a look and Stiles shrugged.

“I don’t know anything, and nothing has happened, but it’s just a feeling you know? Not a _oh I’m being watched_ feeling like I got whenever you were outside my house, but just an awareness.”

Derek nodded, opening his fridge to pull out two bottles of water, tossing one to Scott. He huffed as it hit him square in the chest, and Stiles held out his hand for the second bottle. Derek cracked it and took a long drink before handing it over.

Stiles could feel the look he was getting from Scott. He gave him a look back as he took his own sip. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You banned me from talking about werewolf things.”

Scott glared. “Well explain now. First there was the hug, and now the sharing of drinks, and unless I’m crazy the shirt you’re wearing is too big for you, and I’m jumping to conclusions all over the place here.”

“You stole my shirt?” Derek asked.

“Like you didn’t notice,” Stiles snapped at him, before turning to Scott. “We’re pack,” he said as if that could explain everything. “Like I was trying to tell you on Wednesday, the connection between the wolf inside me and the human is breaking down. They look at things differently, and depending who I’m with, I listen to one or the other more often than not.”

Derek nodded his agreement as Scott shifted, looking at Stiles like he wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not. “So what? You listen to your wolf when you two are together?”

Stiles shrugged. “Something like that.”

“We aren’t human friends,” Derek said, looking at Stiles for confirmation. “But we’re packmates and that means more.”

“Exactly.” Stiles looked at Scott, trying to see if he understood.

He looked unsure, but then he opened his arms for Stiles. “If you ever need a sniff to see if I’m okay you can ask.”

Stiles stared at him while Derek just covered his laughter with his hand. Stiles flipped him off, before taking Scott up on his offer, embracing him like he had done with Derek. It was comforting, and he could smell that Scott was relaxing. He really needed to start getting to work on understanding different emotions.

Stiles broke the hug after a long moment and he could feel how wide he was grinning. “So who wants to watch a movie?”

Scott looked at him like he was crazy and then looked at the apartment. “Where?”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I brought my laptop.”

“You aren’t watching one here,” Derek said, folding his arms over his chest.

“Yes we are. This is team bonding. I have watched enough genre tv shows to know this is super important. And Scott, you should know this, after all the Buffy you slept through.”

“No,” Derek said, eyebrows drawn together.

“Oh, stop being a spoilsport. We’ll take your input. And probably reject it because you have shitty taste in movies no doubt.”

“I’m not arguing about this,” Derek said and Scott nodded.

“Good call. He’s ridiculous.”

“Hey!” Stiles said. “You two aren’t allowed to double team me. That’s just unfair.”

Scott laughed loudly, and Stiles grabbed Derek’s keys off of the kitchen counter. He was going to regret “team bonding”, he just knew it.

 

The video store was practically empty when they pulled in. Stiles hadn’t even been sure if it would be open on New Year’s Day but apparently they had nothing better to do than be open, renting out movies to the population of Beacon Hills.

Derek walked right over to the action section, Scott following him because apparently the two of them liked mindless explosions, and Stiles was sure if they were actually capable of talking to one another they would have spent the whole car ride talking about The Fast and the Furious or something. Luckily for him, even though they seemed to have a moment making fun of him, it wasn’t enough to change the fact that Scott was terrified by Derek, and that Derek didn’t consider Scott pack.

It was a work in progress.

Stiles let them pick out the movie, because he was going to do the much more important task of stocking up on all the junk food he could afford, and some he couldn’t because Scott owed him. He was getting a raised eyebrow from the guy behind the counter as he made a third pile of gummy based candies when the front door opened, and Scott left the store.

Stiles looked at Derek. “What the hell?” He asked, not raising his voice. The guy behind the counter already thought he was crazy, no need to hide it.

“He started suggesting werewolf horror films so I sent him to the car,” Derek said. Stiles could see him back in the horror section and he laughed.

“What are you laughing about?”

Stiles whipped around, staring at Danny. He flailed and tipped over one of his mountains of candy. “Uh, uh what are you doing here?”

Danny looked at the movie in his hand, Saw, and then arched his eyebrow, because that should have been obvious. “I could ask you the same. You know Scott left right?”

Stiles’ mouth opened and out came word vomit. “Scott got in trouble so he got sent back to the car.”

Danny looked amused. “He got in trouble?”

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, he was being cheeky with our uh, friend.” He turned his head to watch Derek walk up to them, holding three different movies. Danny was watching him too, clearly surprised.

“Stiles, what is this?” Derek asked, looking at the pile of candy.

“Uh, obviously a giant stash of candy.”

“You aren’t buying that,” Derek said, putting the movies down to rent them. Stiles had called it with two action movies, one being a Fast and the Furious movie, and a horror film.

“Pretty sure you can’t say anything to stop me.”

“I’m leaving you,” Derek said, flashing a wicked smile at Stiles, who just rolled his eyes.

“So cute. Buy me my candy.” He shoved one pile towards the movies and grinned at the guy behind the counter. “This is with his stuff.” He turned back to Danny, who was looking at him oddly.

Actually, now that Stiles looked at him, not distracted by anything, Danny looked odd. He smelled off. He had dark circles under his eyes, he definitely wasn’t dressed his best in the giant Beacon Hills High lacrosse sweater that smelled like Jackson, and Stiles could smell ice cream and popcorn. He blinked, taking this all in too quickly and when he focused on him again, Danny was trying to smile his friendly open smile. It came out fake and hurt.

“Have fun with your boyfriend and Scott tonight, okay?” Danny said, moving around Stiles to put his movie down.

Derek had moved to the side, eyebrow arched as Stiles sputtered. “He’s not my boyfriend. Have you seen him?” He pointed to Derek. “His jawline is too good for me.”

Danny stopped paying attention to the check out guy, who let out an impatient huff. “Oh. I had thought...” he trailed off, but Stiles was still stuck on the idea of people thinking he was dating Derek.

He knew he wasn’t classically attractive, and Derek definitely was, and the rules of society dictated that non-attractive people did not date attractive people. Unless somehow getting turned into a werewolf had made him suddenly attractive.

“Wait, do you find me attractive?” He blurted out before he could stop himself.

Danny’s face contorted but before he could answer Derek had grabbed Stiles by the shoulder and was leading him out of the video store. Stiles protested but didn’t fight too much, even though he knew he could. Danny was blushing faintly, and Stiles could smell something _different_ but he couldn’t figure out what it meant. All he got out was an “I’ll see you in class!” before Derek dragged him outside.

“I really can’t take you anywhere,” Derek grumbled as they passed Jackson’s Porsche and Stiles did a double take at that, because he hadn’t seen Jackson inside, and that was because him and Lydia were sitting in the car waiting.

He was still focused on that as Derek shoved him into the passenger seat of his car and he watched Danny walk out of the store and climb into the back of Jackson’s car.

“Woah, is that Danny?” Scott asked, leaning forward. “I must have missed him in the store.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, because even if Scott never said it out loud, he knew he wasn’t the only one with a crush on Danny. Granted, everyone loved Danny. He was too nice not to love. Except apparently he was, because Stiles was pretty sure he was going through a break-up.

Stiles turned around after he put on his seat belt, which he needed because Derek peeled out of the parking lot. “Yeah. And get this, I think Danny likes me?”

Stiles eyes went comically wide. “What? You think? What makes you say that?”

Stiles ignored Derek’s long suffering sigh. “Well, see he thought Derek and I were dating, which, stupid, right? Because Derek is stupid ridiculous attractive, and while I obviously have my own special, awesome characteristics, most people don’t consider me attractive. But Danny thought I was attractive enough to date Derek, which means he must think I’m attractive!”

Scott opened and closed his mouth like a fish. “That seems a little roundabout in thinking?”

“Oh, shut up.” Stiles turned to Derek. “That’s what it seemed like, right? I am not hallucinating?”

“No.” Derek said. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel.

“What?” Stiles asked. “No, it didn’t seem like that? Because I thought that’s what it seemed like.”

“No.”

“Not even a little? Come on, were you even paying attention? This is important! I’ve never had someone like me back!”

Derek let out a breath. “No. You aren’t allowed to have relationships.”

“What?”

“Stiles, you’re great at control, seriously, I’m impressed. But you just went through your first full moon. A relationship would just be bad.”

Stiles stared at him, and he could see Scott doing the same from the back. “What?”

“You will just end up hurting anyone you get involved with.” Derek’s lips were a thin line. “You’re only sixteen. You’ll get over it.”

Stiles glared, even as he was thrown forward when Derek slammed too hard on the break. “Oh no. This is not. Derek! You can’t just ban me from relationships! Do you ban yourself from relationships?”

“I’m not interested.”

“Maybe that’s your problem! Maybe if you had someone you’d calm down!” Stiles said, voice rising as he spoke.

He could see Derek gritting his teeth. When he spoke it was tense. “If you try to set me up in any relationship I will rip your throat out with my teeth.”

Stiles snorted. “You see, this is why you need a relationship. You are too violent. Having someone will take off that edge.” He settled into his seat, ignoring Derek’s low growling. He thought back to Danny. He’d always liked Danny, but he’d never thought he’d have a chance. At least with Lydia he had the stereotypes to bounce off of, the popular girl going for the loser guy. But there weren’t any movies that had the loser guy getting with the friendly, likeable, popular guy.

Stiles liked trying for things he thought he had some chance of getting.

Maybe he could get this. He grinned. He would try talking to Danny in school. That was only a few days from now. Stiles had never thought that a school break would change things so much, because each year he’d keep going back to the same old routine. But now? He felt like a truly different person. He was still Stiles, but he was Stiles who had more to him than just lame jokes. He spent his afternoons running around in the woods, and chasing his best friend, and wrestling with his new friend.

It was going to be an awesome year.


	3. Episode 3: I've had enough (of two-hand touch)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's not talk about how I wrote all of this chapter on Saturday and surprised myself when I came out of the writing coma and saw the chapter was 12k OTL Also did I mention the Sterek was going to be a slow burn? Because yeah :)

School didn’t look any different when Stiles pulled up, Scott and his bike in the Jeep with him because the sky had opened up and started pouring. He was a good friend for picking Scott up with a change of clothes in a bag, just like he kept telling Scott. So he didn’t understand why Scott wouldn’t be more supportive of his plights.

“Just- just try to be attracted to me for one moment so I can figure out what attraction smells like?” Stiles pleaded as he pulled into a parking space. He narrowly avoided dinging the car he was parking next to, and he made a face as he tried to straighten himself out.

“Why can’t you wait for Derek to teach you this stuff?”

“Because! I am going to try to flirt with Danny today and knowing if he actually likes me or not will help greatly.”

Scott looked at him. “Why can’t you just do it like normal people and like,” he waved his hands around, “watch body language.”

Stiles fake laughed and slammed the Jeep into park. “I’m a werewolf, Scott. I am going to need these skills anyway. Better to start practicing them in relatively harmless situations. The worst that could happen in this situation is getting turned down.”

“And punched by Jackson,” Scott reminded.

“I got thrown into a tree by Derek, who is like, definitely ten thousand times more awesome than Jackson. I’d love to see him try.” Stiles took a deep breath, looking at the downpour. “Ready to go in?”

Scott looked at his bike, crammed into the backseat. “Can I leave that here?”

“Yeah, sure.” They nodded at each other and made a run for the front door.

Stiles stripped off his hoodie once he got into the school, just like everyone else was doing. He finished shaking himself off and he looked over at Scott to see if he was finished. Scott was staring at him, trying to hold back his laughter. Stiles chucked his wet hoodie right in his face.

“Very funny. I hope it smells.”

Stiles rolled his eyes while Scott just took a deep breath of the sweater. “Just like at the clinic.”

“Haha,” Stiles said, grabbing his hoodie back and wringing it out. He still took a sniff of his forearm, just to make sure he wasn’t actually starting to smell like wet dog. That would be awful, and not at all the impression he wanted to leave with Danny. He looked up to see Scott already heading to homeroom and he jogged to catch up with him. “Hey, wait up.”

Scott turned around suddenly and Stiles found himself pressed up against the lockers. A scent was rolling off of Scott, something Stiles couldn’t identify, but he recognized. It wasn’t as sharp as what he had smelled on Danny in the video store, and it was tainted in a way. He could tell right away that he didn’t like the scent.

“Stiles,” Scott said, voice dropping. He was staring right at Stiles. “I- I really find you attractive.”

Stiles burst into laughter as Scott dropped his arm, laughing as well. They were getting looks from people passing by them, but Stiles didn’t mind, as he wrapped Scott in an embrace. Scott’s scent had gone back to normal: the nice, safe smell that was Scott, and brother. Stiles took a deep whiff of it, still laughing as they broke the hug.

“That was _terrible_. Never, ever do that to me again.”

Scott laughed. “But you _asked_.”

“And I completely regret it. Oh my god, do I regret it.” Stiles flung his arm around Scott’s shoulder as they kept walking to class. “I think we can safely say that if we make it to senior year without ever dating someone, I am springing for a night at a strip club before we try kissing each other, because that is just going to end terribly.”

Scott elbowed him in the ribs. “Hey! I wasn’t that bad!”

Stiles looked at him like he was crazy. “It was pretty awful. I might have nightmares.” He grunted as Scott elbowed him again. “Hey! That could bruise!”

Scott shrugged off his arm as they walked into class and took their seats. “You’ll heal.”

Stiles had no retort but to stick out his tongue. The scent that Scott had given off had been similar to Danny, though. Stiles didn’t know what that meant. He didn’t know if that scent meant arousal, or annoyance, or what. But he definitely knew when it was coming off of Scott he didn’t like it. Stiles wondered if that meant he was destined for someone. He knew wolves mated for life, and there was always lore on soul mates.

When his English teacher had his back turned Stiles pulled out his cellphone and sent a text to Derek.

_Explain werewolf mating to me._

He got a reply within minutes, which made Stiles feel slightly better, because Derek could have been sleeping.

_no_

Stile stared at the text before snorting. Of course Derek would suck at all forms of communication.

_Either you explain or I do this by trial and error!_

Derek’s reply came slower this time. _no >:|_

It took all of Stiles control not to burst into laughter, and as it was he accidentally managed to kick the person in front of him. He apologized and looked back at the text.

_Did you just use an emoticon on me?_

_did it distract you from asking stupid questions_

Stiles bit down his laughter again. _Nope! See you after school! Meeting at your place or the woods?_

He counted it as a win that Derek just replied with an affirmative on the woods, and didn’t press about the mating anymore.

So now all he had to do was wait to talk to Danny.

 

The plan had been to wait until History, or even Math class, when he had Danny completely to himself, but when Stiles got to Chemistry and saw that no one else of importance was there yet minus him and Danny, he couldn’t stop himself from sliding into the seat across from Danny.

Danny looked up, and even as he gave Stiles an inquisitive look, Stiles could smell his scent changing. It was much better than Scott’s forced change from earlier.

“Hey,” Stiles said, swallowing nervously. He had this, though. He was a badass werewolf. “So… how are you?”

Danny’s smile brightened just a little. “Okay. Do you need something?”

Stiles couldn’t stop himself from acting like an idiot and practically throwing himself on the table so he could be closer to Danny so the people coming into the classroom wouldn’t hear him make a fool of himself. “Well, you didn’t answer my question. The one at the video store. The question I asked before Derek was a jackass and dragged me out?” He looked hopeful, even as Danny laughed a little.

“I was gonna ask about that?”

“What? The question? Or Derek? Because I can tell you right now that Derek is totally not open to relationships. He told me so when I tried to set him up with someone later that night.” Stiles rubbed his forehead reflexively, the pain from Derek slamming him into the dashboard coming back. He looked at Danny hopefully. “I just was curious? Do you find me attractive?”

Danny opened his mouth when a shadow fell over the table. Stiles sighed as he felt himself being dragged off the table and turned around to face Jackson.

“What are you doing here, Stilinski?”

Stiles grinned brightly. “Oh, you know, just having a friendly chat with my friend.”

Jackson glared. “Cute. Now get out.”

Stiles looked at Danny, who was covering his mouth to stop himself from laughing. He smelled delicious. “Sure thing. See you seventh period!” He shrugged off Jackson’s hand, and then fumbled as he went back to his seat. He stopped after he tossed his backpack on the desk next to Scott because he’d forgotten something. He dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out the paper he had scribbled his number on before, _because he was smooth_. He turned back to Danny’s table and tossed the crumpled up paper on his desk.

He grinned when Danny snatched it before Jackson could, and he made the universal “call me” sign before turning back to Scott. The full force of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks when he saw Scott’s face. His eyes went comically wide and he opened and closed his mouth a few times.

He, Stiles Stilinski, had just given his number to someone. And they hadn’t punched him, or laughed at him (too much), and from what he could smell he thought they might be have been receptive?

He didn’t need to turn around to hear Danny and Jackson whispering back and forth.

“Give me the paper, Danny.”

“No.” There was a rustle, and Stiles could hear a number being put into a cell phone. His heartbeat picked up, but he didn’t risk glancing back.

“Danny. Throw out that number.”

“No.” Stiles glanced back just in time to see Danny stick his tongue out at Jackson, who looked pissed.

He grinned and turned to Scott, who still looked shocked as he wrote down the notes on the syllabus. When Stiles was pretty sure no one was paying attention he poked Scott in the side, and they silently freaked out together because _he’d given his number to someone_.

***

Jackson knew his flaws. He had to if he was going to ever get better. So he knew he was possessive, easily jealous, and protective beyond all belief. Especially for family. Because he didn’t have a large family; not one he wanted anyway. To him his family was Danny and Lydia, because he had chosen them, and they had accepted him, and they loved him, and he loved them. That was his family. And he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them.

Danny had a horrible habit of dating the worst possible people ever. Jackson had always known this, but Lydia had made a list after the disaster that had been Stan-the-Murderer-Man. They’d presented it to Danny, thinking it would make him see the error of his ways, and then he’d immediately started dating Seth-the-Divorce-Lawyer and it had all been downhill from there.

“Give me your phone,” he ordered as they went to his locker to drop off their books before gym.

Danny just laughed, because he was a brat with no self-preservation at all. “Jackson, it’s okay. It’s just Stiles. He’s harmless.”

“Yeah, and so was Stan-the-Murderer-Man, but then we found out about his hacked-up family in Arizona.”

Danny winced, opening the locker and holding his hands out for Jackson’s books. “Do you still call him that?”

“Yes. Listen, you just broke up with what’s his name-“

“Rob,” Danny said with a sigh.

Jackson nodded. “That one. I’m just saying, do you really think it’s a good idea to start dating so quickly? And with someone like Stilinski?”

“Who’s dating?” Lydia asked, coming up holding her books. She pushed herself between Danny and the locker to give Jackson a hello kiss, but he returned the kiss half-distracted.

“Some guy gave Danny his number today.”

Lydia’s eyes narrowed, and she pulled back to look at Danny. “What did we just talk about in Latin?”

Jackson watched as Danny’s shoulders dropped. Lydia had that effect on people. “Stiles is perfectly harmless. He’s the Sheriff’s son. What harm could he cause?”

Lydia blinked and looked at Jackson. “Who’s Stiles?”

“Some third rate lacrosse player,” Jackson supplied at the same time Danny said, “the one in History who did the report on Shakespeare’s plagiarism.”

To Jackson’s horror Lydia didn’t look enraged, or appalled. She looked contemplative. “And he gave you _his_ number? Out of the blue?”

Danny shut the locker and Jackson could only watch the train wreck of Danny and Lydia _conspiring_. “Well, we’d run into each other at the video store on New Years'. And we had this really bizarre conversation which ended with, I guess someone who’s not his boyfriend dragging him out of the store before he asked me out? So he did it today?”

Lydia looped arms with Danny, steering him towards the gym. “I see.” She looked over her shoulder at Jackson. “Jackson? Are you coming?”

Jackson groaned and slammed the locker just to get out some of his frustration. He could see he had already lost this battle. He’d just have to be prepared to pick up the pieces of Danny’s broken heart, and hope it didn’t come with more dead bodies.

***

Stiles had left lunch early because Scott had to go bring Finstock the note about his asthma that he had forgotten about during Economics. This just meant that he had time to settle himself down in History, and prepare himself for Danny. He’d been getting glares all throughout lunch anyway, and even with his healing factor he wasn’t sure if Jackson’s death glare was going to leave permanent damage.

He pulled out his cell phone and sent Derek a text.

_I saw you creeping outside. Get a job hippie._

_shut up_

Stiles grinned and sat up to see out the window. Derek was lounging in the backseat of Stiles’ Jeep. He rolled his eyes.

_If you broke my lock you have to pay for it._

_it was open_

Stiles snorted and was about to reply when the scent of Lydia Martin entered the room. He slouched back in his seat, because Danny usually followed after her and he was man enough to admit he was a little worried that he might get rejected.

Stiles blinked when Lydia ignored her normal seat and walked right to him, dropping gracefully in the seat right in front of him. She spun around and fixed him with a glare.

He hadn’t been at the receiving end of that look in a long, long time. Like, sixth grade long time. Stiles swallowed.

“Why did you ask out Danny?”

Stiles stared. “Because I... like him?”

“Well, isn’t that reassuring. You’ve answered my question with a question.” She looked at him. “Try again.”

“Because I like him?”

“Still a question.”

Stiles swallowed and sat up straighter. His heartbeat was picking up and he tried to calm it. “I like him. Kinda always have had a crush on him.” He held back the added comment that he’d always liked her as well. “I just... didn’t know he was interested.”

“What made you pick now?”

Stiles shrugged. He had not been expecting the Spanish Inquisition over asking Danny out. “New year. New time to take risks.”

Lydia looked him up and down. “Have you ever murdered someone?”

“What?”

“Standard question.” She scrunched up her face. “So? Have you?” The bell rang to signal the end of sixth period and Stiles jumped. “Answer the question.”

Lydia was a lot scarier than Stiles thought. “No! What makes you think I’ve killed someone?”

She was still watching him, like she was trying to find a weakness. She sniffed. “You’d be surprised what kind of faces psychopaths hide behind.” She turned in her seat as their teacher came into the class, followed by Danny, who brightened when he saw Lydia and Stiles.

Stiles couldn’t say anything as Danny took the seat next to him and started to pull out his notebooks.

His phone vibrated and Stiles looked down at it, expecting to see a text from Derek asking if he was okay. Stiles knew his heart had spiked about 3,000 times in that last conversation, and he was surprised Derek hadn’t come running to make sure everything was okay.

It was a number he didn’t recognize. _Are you free Friday?_

Stiles looked at Danny, who smiled a little shyly. Stiles broke into a wide grin, even as he saw Lydia roll her eyes and mutter something distasteful about young love under her breath.

He nodded, at the same time he was texting back. _Yes!_

Stiles pressed his phone to his chin just in time for their teacher to see.

“Mr. Stilinski! Put that phone away!”

Stiles flailed and dropped his phone. He caught it before it could hit the floor, and he flashed a winning grin to Danny, who was staring at him.

He had this.

 

The math teacher was absent, so during their last period Stiles and Danny were actually able to talk. He didn’t admit to having no clue what to do, but Danny seemed to have guessed it was one of his first dates, if not his first one, pretty quickly, and had taken over any planning.

A quick look at the movie selection in the local theatre had left both of them uninspired.

“Tangled?” Stiles asked, going down the list.

“Lydia already made me see it,” Danny said.

Stiles pointed to the next movie, “The Tourist?”

“Lydia.”

“Is there a movie you haven’t seen yet?” Stiles asked, only half serious.

“Yogi Bear.”

Stiles made a face. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”

Danny looked at the clock. They still had half an hour left in school. “Well, we don’t have to go see a movie this week. We could always just rent one.”

Stiles thought back to Danny’s film selection, the small taste he saw at the video store. “I’m not exactly in the mood for thrillers and gore.”

Danny laughed. “Oh. Yeah.” He rubbed his neck. “I don’t normally watch horror movies. That was a therapeutic watch.”

“What do you mean?”

Danny shrugged, looking sheepish. “I tend to want to watch horror when I’ve just broken up with someone.”

Stiles blinked, and then laughed. “Okay. Well, that’s good to know. What’s your normal genre when you aren’t living out fantasies of killing your exes?”

“When you put it like that it just sounds awful.” Danny shook his head. “I don’t know. Usually I get my choices overridden by Jackson and Lydia.”

“Well then on Friday you can pick the movie out, fair enough?” Stiles watched as Danny blushed and he thought that this date might not be as horrible a disaster he was worried it might be.

 

“What did you do?” Derek demanded the moment Stiles climbed into his Jeep.

He was very proud of himself for not jumping in fear. That was mostly because he’d known that Derek was still in there, like a creeper.

“Oh my god! Can’t you get a job?”

Derek glared and he pushed Stiles out of the way as he climbed into the front seat. “Stop avoiding the subject. What did you do?”

“Well, for starters I told Finstock that I was quitting the lacrosse team so I could spend more time with my crazy werewolf-brethren running around naked in the woods.” Derek snorted. “And then I may have asked Danny out on a date.” He muttered the last part but Derek still heard him.

He slammed Stiles’ head into the steering wheel hard enough that the horn went off.

“Oh my god are you deranged!” Stiles looked around at all the people staring at them. “Great, now everyone is staring at us. I hope you’re proud of yourself and your abusive tendencies.”

“Shut up and drive. We are having a long conversation about how I don’t just say things to say them.” Derek folded his arms over his chest and glowered.

“I really don’t see what’s so bad about a date, Derek! One date! It’s not like I’m going to mate with the guy!”

Derek just growled. “I’m going to make you run suicides all day.”

Stiles patted his knee. “I know you don’t want your little brother to grow up but we all reach that age where we need to.”

Derek didn’t respond to the taunt and Stiles removed his hand, turning on the radio and singing along obnoxiously until Derek had relaxed even a little. He’d win Derek over soon enough with this idea of dating.

***

New schools sucked. Allison adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She was already late, she couldn’t find a pen, and she was pretty sure her hair was a mess because the only hairtie she had brought had snapped while she was in the car. And of course her parents couldn’t let her start on the first day of the new semester, because they were still getting everything organized, so she had to start in the middle of the week.

 _At least it wasn’t the middle of the semester,_ her mom had reminded her as Allison had run out the door.

She’d left twenty minutes early and still managed to get lost and become late for class. Allison ran her hands through her hair, messing it up even more, and just kept reminding herself that no matter how the day could go, it would never beat her first day at Junior High in Mattoon when she’d gotten mud all over her dress from a passing car.

Yeah, that was a good thought. She laughed nervously as she went looking through her bag for a pen. She had the sneaking suspicion that she didn’t have one, and wasn’t that just great. Well, like her mom would say! Just a reason to talk to someone and make new friends!

It never got easier each time she moved, but her dad had said this would be one of the last stops for a while, whatever that meant.

Allison looked up and greeted the Vice Principal, a tall man with a friendly smile, who showed her around, gave her her schedule, and brought her to her first class.

Everyone stared at her when she came in, and she ducked her head.

“Please introduce yourself to the class,” the teacher was saying, and Allison hadn’t even looked at her schedule to see what class this was. Great.

“Hi. I’m Allison.” She waved awkwardly, and hurried quickly to the only empty chair, behind a boy with an uneven jaw and messy brown hair.

The teacher started to talk and Allison looked frantically around for a pen. No luck. She sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the people around her. There was a girl next to her who was asleep, and the guy sitting next to her was already taking notes.

She tapped the uneven-jawed boy's shoulder. He turned around loudly, earning looks from the surrounding classmates, but their teacher just kept talking about their first essay.

“Hey. Do you have a pen?” She whispered, actually looking at the boy. He was cute in a deer-in-the-headlights kind of way. Maybe if he wiped the look off his face he’d be even cuter.

“Uh. Uh. Hold on.” He kicked the boy sitting next to him, and got the pen the boy was holding thrown right at his head. Uneven jawed kid fumbled with it before handing it to her. “Here.” He smiled at her and Allison found herself blushing.

He was really cute.

She could see his friend rolling his eyes, but he seemed to be ignoring it.

“I’m Scott.”

“Allison.”

They stared at each other for a few more moments before Scott seemed to realize what he was doing and frantically turned around. Allison smothered her laugh behind her hand.

 

She had gym right before lunch, and she had no idea where she was supposed to be going. Allison knew that the Vice Principal had shown her where it was, but she had completely blanked. So instead she was standing by her locker, staring dumbly at the map the Chemistry teacher had drawn, like it helped at all.

A girl with red hair that Allison recognized from her Chemistry class came up to her with a huge smile on her face. “I really like your coat.”

Allison blinked, and looked down the coat she was holding in her hand. “Oh. Thanks. My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco, and she picked it up there for me.”

The girl’s eyes crinkled as she smiled and Allison couldn’t tell if it was sincere or not. “You and I are going to be very good friends, I can tell. Do you need help? I saw Harris draw you that map.”

Allison let out a sigh of relief. “Oh yeah. Thanks, I’m going to gym next.”

“Oh! Great, that’s where I’m headed! Come with me.” The girl started walking and Allison jogged to keep up with her.

“I’m Allison. Kinda new here.”

“Lydia Martin. Stick with me and I’ll make this the best high school experience of your life.” Lydia flashed a huge grin at Allison, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Thanks. And after gym I have lunch-“

“You can sit with me and Jackson!” Lydia was still smiling. “Jackson is my boyfriend. He’s captain of the lacrosse team. Our lacrosse team is kind of a big deal.”

“I’ve never seen a game.” Allison admitted, starting to feel wrapped up in a whirlwind of Lydia as she kept walking briskly towards the gym.

“Well, we’ll definitely need to fix that. The team is still doing conditioning, but we can go and watch today if you’re free after school.”

“I should be?”

“Excellent!”

Lydia was talkative, and bubbly, but Allison was glad to have someone with her throughout gym, and then on the walk to lunch. Lydia showed her where to buy food, and pointed out where they would be sitting while they waited in line.

Allison sat down next to Lydia, who was beaming as a tall, handsome blond boy came and put his tray down next to them. Allison could only assume this was _Jackson_ the perfect boyfriend Lydia had mentioned. Another boy put his tray down next to Jackson’s, he had darker hair but was just as built and Allison wondered if she had stepped into some Twilight Zone where everyone was suddenly Greek gods and she’d been left out.

“Allison,” Lydia said, distracting Allison from her thoughts. “This is Jackson, who I mentioned before. And this is Danny. He’s the goalie for the lacrosse team.”

The darker haired boy, Danny, smiled. “I’m not goalie just yet.”

Jackson snorted as he started to eat the apple he had. “Like coach would pick anyone else. You were second line last year just because of Dalton, and he graduated.”

“We’ll see what happens,” Danny said, looking around, and then he was waving someone else over.

Allison watched as Jackson’s face darkened, and Lydia grabbed hold of his hand, as if that would stop him from pitching a fit.

Two more boys sat down next to Danny.

“Thanks,” said the boy with a shaved head, but Allison’s attention was on the second boy, Scott from her first period class.

“Hey,” he said, looking right at her.

“Hi.” She felt so awkward, not sure what to say. She opened her mouth to thank him for the pen, and she should probably return it, but any chance of starting a conversation was stopped by Jackson speaking to his friend.

“What are you doing here, Stilinski?”

The boy sitting next to Danny smiled winningly. “Eating lunch. With my friends.” And he ducked his head when Danny looked at him. “And my boyfriend. Got a problem?”

Allison watched as Jackson fumbled with something to say, while everyone looked at him. He grumbled a little but didn’t add anything, going back to furiously eating his apple.

Danny and his boyfriend fell into a conversation about movies, and Allison could only guess they were doing something on Friday. She looked at Scott, finally able to get a word in edgewise.

“Thanks for letting me borrow the pen.”

“No problem,” he said around a mouthful of food, and then he realized what he had said and he covered his mouth. “Sorry.”

Allison laughed. “Do you want it back? Or to uh, give it to your friend?”

Scott looked at his friend, and then shrugged. “Stiles has like an arsenal of pens. I don’t think he’ll miss one.”

Allison nodded and took a bite out of her food as Jackson and Stiles started to snark at one another. Lydia was watching the fight and sharing an amused look with Danny. Allison gave another look at Scott, who was watching her. She grinned at him. School wasn’t looking that bad.

***

It was around 6 PM on Friday when Stiles realized that he had no idea what he was supposed to wear for a date. He was driving back from the woods, covered in dirt and a few minor bruises because Derek didn’t pull his punches, when it hit him. He was having Danny over his house in an hour, and he had no clue what to wear, or what to eat, or what to anything.

He didn’t even know if his dad was going to be home.

Stiles slammed his head on the steering wheel in frustration and drove faster. His dad’s car was still in the driveway and he cursed before he went running inside.

“Hey dad! Gotta shower! Are you working tonight?” He called as he tried to run up the stairs without his dad noticing. He didn’t think the bruises on his face were noticeable anymore, but he was still covered in dirt.

“Stiles. Stop.” Stiles froze mid-step. “Turn and explain.” Stiles turned and saw his dad wearing his uniform. He let out a sigh of relief because that meant his dad was going into work soon.

“Uh. Explain what?”

“Why you look like you just spent the last hour rolling in leaves.” His dad gave him a look.

Stiles looked at himself. “Well, Derek was helping me with lacrosse.”

“I thought you quit the team.”

Stiles shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I don’t like picking up a game here and there.”

His dad was looking at him oddly. “So you’re still hanging out with Derek?”

Stiles nodded. “I left you his address on the refrigerator door. And I’m actually doing something with someone else in about an hour so I really need to go upstairs and shower.”

“Someone else isn’t very descriptive.”

Stiles jumped from foot to foot. “You know Danny?” His dad nodded. “Well, I kinda asked him out? And so he’s coming over and we’re going to watch a movie.”

His dad crossed his arms. “You asked out Danny?” Stiles nodded. “And he’s coming here?” Stiles nodded again. “Why can’t you kids just do what normal kids do and go to the movies?”

Stiles let out a breath. “We tried, but all the movies out right now really suck. That or Danny already saw them, so instead he’s coming here.” Stiles moved a bit more frantically. “Can I go and shower now?”

His dad sighed. “You couldn’t have given me a little advance notice about this date?”

“It didn’t cross my mind! Do you disapprove?”

“Danny’s a good kid.” His dad shot him a look. “I expect you to keep your curfew of midnight. Don’t make me wake up Mrs. Minchin from next door just to make sure you’re in bed.”

Stiles shuddered. “Dad! I’m sixteen! I can put myself to bed without you needing to wake up Old Lady Matilda.”

His dad gave him a look that said he didn’t believe him. “Go and shower. This is your first date with Danny, right? I don’t need to break out the sex talk yet?”

“Oh my god!” Stiles shouted, running upstairs before the conversation could go any further. He heard his dad laughing as he turned on the water. Stiles ignored it, washing and jerking off as quickly as he could. He really didn’t want anything to go wrong.

He wasn’t expecting anything. Sure, during school he and Danny had gotten along pretty well. They talked, and texted during class, and after school he had sat with Lydia and Allison watching the team practice. But that didn’t mean that would translate to one-on-one comfort. And Stiles knew he had the risk of wolfing out. He always had that risk.

That was part of the reason he had spent the last three hours wrestling with Derek in the woods. His wolf was exhausted. It allowed him to have a bit more freedom with what he could do with Danny, not that he was expecting anything. They had both been awkward with the hugs, resorting to hand shaking like losers every time they met up and left.

Stiles had been dressed for about five minutes when the doorbell rang, but Stiles had felt Danny since he’d walked onto the street. He didn’t have a car, and Stiles cursed himself for not offering to drive him.

He bounded to the door and opened it with a grin, which died immediately at the picture Danny made. He was dressed in nice black jeans and a tight grey t-shirt, and while it wasn’t any different than what he normally wore, the air of nervousness made the whole thing hang different on him. He wasn’t the confident teen Stiles was used to.

Stiles held open the door, beckoning Danny in silently. He didn’t know what to say, so his eyes locked onto the stack of DVDs Danny was holding.

“What did you bring?”

Danny followed his eyes, and grinned self-consciously. “I really like, uh, watching movies and critiquing all the ways they use computers wrong.” He waved _WarGames_ and _Independence Day_. “And sometimes how they get it right,” he also acknowledged when Stiles looked at _The Italian Job_. “It’s sorta... my thing?”

He looked nervous and Stiles blinked. “Sounds awesome. I love me some MST3K.” He stepped back, walking towards the living room. “I had no idea if you’d eaten or what? We don’t really have much food unless I grocery shop?” Stiles looked at Danny who just shrugged when handed the pile of take out menus. Stiles nervously took a seat on the couch next to Danny, looking over the movies he had brought.

He had no clue what he was doing, and he wasn’t even sure how they had ordered food, or how they put in the DVD, or how they managed to suddenly be watching something, and talking about it like they were having a conversation.

Stiles barely noticed the time pass, even though he was hyper aware of Danny the entire time. He noticed how they got closer together, until their hands finally laced together while Will Smith was dragging an alien around the desert, and they curled up next to one another by the end of the film. When Stiles went to switch the movie for the next and realized it was almost 11:30 he couldn’t believe they had gone through two movies that quickly. He also couldn’t believe it had taken him that long to work up the courage to hold hands with Danny.

He hovered with putting in _The Italian Job_ , because he had comments prepared for every scene Seth Green was in but he decided not to. He didn’t want to test his dad on his promise about making Matilda come over.

Stiles looked back at Danny, still curled up on the couch. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

Danny blinked and looked down at his cellphone. “Oh, wow. Well, that’s no problem. I promised my mom I’d be home by one.”

Stiles grinned, sliding back onto the couch, his body fitting back in with Danny’s. The room was dark except for the blue light from the tv. “That sucks, cause my dad said my curfew was midnight.”

Danny stuck out his lower lip and Stiles really, _really_ wanted to kiss it. He could feel his skin getting hotter as Danny and he sat so close together and breathed in the same air. It wouldn’t take much to kiss, and then they could spend the next half hour doing that. They wouldn’t get much further, Stiles didn’t think. Nothing that would make him even risk losing control.

Danny pressed their foreheads together. “Yeah. That does.” He smiled, his hand coming up to stroke Stiles’ cheek. “Thanks for tolerating my comments.”

“It was a pleasure. Next time we are definitely getting to ‘The Italian Job’ though.”

“A personal favourite of mine,” Danny whispered.

Stiles swallowed. He could sense the anticipation in Danny’s voice, and that scent of arousal was back. If Stiles pressed closer, kissed Danny, and pushed their bodies together, he could be positive if it was actually arousal or not. He was starting to heat up, and he could feel the wolf getting closer to the surface. He closed his eyes in frustration, trying to will the wolf down, or to at least have it work with him. Something that didn’t make his fingers feel like claws, or his teeth feel like fangs.

“I can drive you home,” Stiles whispered back, and he could smell the disappointment on Danny.

He knew that wasn’t the right thing to say, but he couldn’t say anything else or else he’d risk losing control. He was sure Derek was hovering near enough that he’d be there before any real damage was caused, and by real damage, Stiles meant Danny’s death, because showing he was a werewolf was damage enough.

“Okay.” Danny said, and it was obvious he was trying not to sound upset. He pulled away, and Stiles missed the warmth. “We should definitely do this again soon.”

Stiles nodded. “Definitely.”

Danny pulled on his shoes, and Stiles handed him back his DVDs. “I had a surprising amount of fun,” Danny said as they walked to Stiles’ Jeep.

“Me too.”

“Next time maybe you can bring out some movies?” Danny asked and Stiles laughed.

“Unless you want to listen to me complain about Lord of the Rings for twelve hours of your life, we can stick to your movies for now.”

“Lord of the Rings sounds like it could be fun.”

“You say that now. Just wait until we get to the middle of Two Towers and I’m still crying over Boromir.”

Danny grinned. “I’ll let you cry on my shoulder, if you need.” His smile turned sly. “I have to do that for Jackson every time we’re forced to watch The Notebook with Lydia.”

Stiles laughed gleefully. “Are you kidding? You better not be kidding because that’s priceless.”

Danny nodded. “I mean, they are usually tears of man pain, but they are tears nonetheless.”

“I’ll take man pain tears.” They rode the rest of the way in silence, holding hands. Danny’s hand felt good in his, and Stiles gave it a squeeze just to feel Danny tighten his fingers around Stiles’.

He let out Danny out, and it was awkward, because it was obvious both of them wanted to kiss, but Stiles couldn’t. His wolf was still too close to the surface, and he couldn’t risk that. They settled for an awkward hug, and Danny snuck a kiss on Stiles’ cheek, before bolting out of the Jeep and up to his house.

Stiles stared after him, and brought his hand up to his cheek. He blinked and was unable to stop the grin breaking out across his face. He was so awesome! Tomorrow he was going to hound Derek about how to control himself some more so that next time he could actually kiss his boyfriend.

***

Stiles smelled like lust when he showed up at Derek’s apartment, and his friend Scott wasn’t much better. Derek didn’t ask, because he really didn’t want to know. He’d already had to suffer sitting outside Stiles’ house the night before, listening to make sure that he hadn’t lost control. He was glad that nothing had happened, because Derek really wasn’t sure he would have been able to sit through listening to that.

He did a lot of things for pack, but listening to mating was not something he was interested in at all. Stiles seemed to be very self-aware though, and in enough control to know when he needed to stop. Now if only Derek knew how to say that he was proud of Stiles without admitting that he had been listening to his heartbeat all last night just to make sure he didn’t lose control.

There wasn’t really any way to do that, so Derek didn’t say anything.

Except ask what the hell Stiles had in the back of his Jeep.

“It’s a sofa.”

Derek stared at the beige loveseat that Stiles had somehow manage to fit into his backseat. It had involved rope, and leaving the rear window open, but it was there. “I can see that. Why is it here?”

Stiles rolled his eyes as he had Scott help him open the back of the jeep. “Because I bought it for you, you idiot.”

Derek looked confused. “But why?”

Scott looked between them. “Because your house sucks, that’s why.” He didn’t wither under the glare that Derek shot him, which impressed Derek to be honest. He had thought the _I’m about to piss my pants_ expression was permanently fixed to the kid’s face. Scott shrugged as he watched Stiles pull the sofa out of the back of his Jeep. “You don’t have anywhere to sit. Cardboard boxes don’t count.”

Derek gave Stiles a look, and then sighed, helping him move the sofa down. He knew Stiles could hold the weight, but it didn’t hurt to have someone else there. The sofa was awkwardly shaped, and Stiles was holding it in such a strange manner. Derek saw someone coming out of the apartment building and he grabbed the other end of the sofa before anyone noticed how odd it was that Stiles could carry a sofa by himself.

“So you bought a sofa?” He asked. “How?”

“Well you see, Derek. This may be a strange concept to you, but you can go to something called a thrift store, and buy what is referred to as furniture.”

Derek looked at the sofa. “You bought me a used sofa.”

“You say it like it automatically has bed bugs or something. Which it doesn’t! I did a full sniff,” Stiles said as they set the sofa down in the living room.

“How did you even afford this?” Derek was pretty sure Scott was the only one who worked, and he was pretty positive Stiles wasn’t mean enough to manipulate Scott into buying him a sofa.

Stiles shrugged. “I had a new flat screen tv I bought for Black Friday. I didn’t need it anymore so I sold it for a ridiculous amount of money. I have a table, another sofa, two bookcases and a couple stools waiting back at the thrift store for me to pick up.”

Derek stared at him and then rubbed his hand over his face. “I could have done my own furniture shopping, you know.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t buy you a bed or anything for your den. I’ll let you decorate that by yourself.” Stiles grinned, while Scott just looked at the two of them.

Derek sighed. “Let me get on my shoes so I can help you make the trips shorter. We can fit the stools and table into my car.”

Stiles threw his hands up in triumph. “Success!”

“I’m also doing this so I can veto anything I don’t like.”

“Whatever,” Stiles said. “I have awesome taste.”

 

Derek had to admit having all the books put up in a shelf was useful. He hadn’t unpacked anything he had salvaged from his house, and he honestly wasn’t sure he was capable of doing that yet, but he had gotten all the books he’d brought back from New York that Laura had collected. After they had finished unpacking them Stiles had grabbed one of the older ones and collapsed onto the sofa, curling up and flipping through the book.

Derek didn’t know what he was looking for so he just let him be. Scott had to leave for work early in the afternoon and Derek had a feeling that once Scott was gone Stiles would actually talk about what he wanted to talk about. It was just a feeling that Derek had. It had been the same with Laura, and some of his cousins, just being able to tell when someone in the pack was brimming with news.

Stiles waved goodbye to Scott and the moment Derek heard the outer door close Stiles had tossed the book to the side.

“Derek, you have got to help me with this control thing.”

Derek took in a deep breath. “I told you this was a bad idea.”

Stiles glared. “Nothing happened, but I could feel like it was going to happen.”

“This is why you need to end it.”

“Derek, I’m sixteen and this is the first person who likes me!”

“You think it’s something that is worth losing your pack to?” Derek closed his eyes, trying not to remember the fire. “If you lost control, if something happened, I might not be able to protect you.”

Stiles looked at him, and Derek wondered if Stiles could see what he was thinking. “Derek, what do you think is going to happen? I’m just worried I’m going to wolf out mid-kiss and Danny will see, and I might hurt him. You make it seem so much worse.”

Derek stared at him, suddenly speechless. He closed his eyes, feeling bad. He hadn’t realized what he had been doing. He’d been pushing all his fears and insecurities onto Stiles, who didn’t even know everything. Or anything. Stiles was just a stupid sixteen-year-old in lust with another stupid sixteen-year-old. Derek knew that whoever Stiles was with couldn’t be a Hunter. He’d done a sweep right after he had moved into his apartment, and no Hunters popped up. He was still keeping a low profile, but he knew some families ( _the Argents_ his mind whispered) kept names on a radar, and he couldn’t be positive he wasn’t being monitored.

He had to be careful.

“We live in a dangerous world now, Stiles,” Derek said instead. “Maybe the worst that happens is you hurt your boyfriend, but what do you think he’s going to do? Take the news of werewolves in stride?”

Stiles looked cowed, but when he spoke Derek could tell he wasn’t giving up. “Can you help me or not? I refuse to live in fear of something that I should have control over.”

“Fine. But if you ever feel like you’re going to lose it, you stop.” Derek said as Stiles perked up, nodding frantically. “Now sit down and shut up while I try to think of a good way to explain this.”

“You’re the best, Derek, and I will give you my first born son.”

Derek snorted. “Daughters work better for our ritualistic sacrifices.”

“Ha-ha-ha,” Stiles said, but Derek could feel that he was relaxing. He hated it, but he could feel himself really beginning to trust Stiles. He kept trying to clamp it down, his mind telling him that it was too soon, but each day Stiles did something else that made Derek want to trust him with everything he was. Derek had known it was going to happen eventually, but the intensity kept knocking him for a loop.

***

Lacrosse practice was starting to get underway. The first cuts to the team were taking place, and Stiles was pleased to see that Scott had missed getting cut by a wide berth. He had originally had plans after school, but then Danny had asked if Stiles could stay and watch, and maybe they could hang out after practice.

Stiles had said yes before he had even cancelled on Derek. He felt bad about it, but when he got the text back saying it was fine he felt slightly better.

He knew Derek was searching for the Alpha, as much as he could, but Stiles didn’t know what else he did during the time they were apart. He hoped that his skills would improve fast enough that he could help Derek.

Stiles practiced them while he watched the lacrosse team, and he also practiced the calming methods Derek had brought up on Saturday. Stiles was pretty sure he would be ready if anything happened today, or tomorrow, or sometime later this week. He felt like he could be a little spontaneous, which is why when Danny waved him down from the bleachers after practice Stiles followed him into the locker room.

Jackson shot him a dirty look, and even as everyone else filed out slowly, Jackson stuck around. Stiles made sure that the only thing Jackson saw was him smiling as he and Danny talked.

“Hey, I’m pretty sure Lydia is waiting for you to take her home,” Danny said as he headed to take a shower.

Jackson glared and once the shower had turned on he spoke to Stiles. “I don’t know what you did to him, but whatever you did you need to stop.”

Stiles blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. He’s been chipper this entire weekend.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Stiles asked, but Jackson seemed to be on a roll.

“I don’t know what he sees in you, because last year you were just scum on the bottom of my shoe, but if you hurt him I will destroy you.”

Stiles’ mouth hung open, unable to say anything as Jackson packed up his bag and left the locker room. He had no idea what had just happened. He was pretty sure he’d just been threatened by Jackson, but the threatening seemed to imply that Jackson was okay with them dating? Stiles shook his head, his mind immediately going to Danny in the shower.

The water shut off and much too quickly Danny was in front of Stiles, toweling himself off.

“Did he threaten you?”

Stiles looked up, trying to look at Danny’s face and not linger too long on his chest. “Threaten? Yes. But I also think he gave me his stamp of approval? He used a lot of big words I wasn’t used to hearing from him.”

Danny laughed and dropped his towel, reaching for his shirt. He was already wearing the gym shorts he would wear home and Stiles watched as he finished getting dressed.

“Do you need me to give you a ride home?” Stiles asked.

Danny grinned. “Depends, what are you doing right now?”

Stiles shrugged. “I kinda cancelled plans with Derek, my uh, guy who was at the video store with me,” Stiles explained at Danny’s confused look. “So I mean, I was gonna head over there later to make sure he didn’t get into too much trouble.”

“Oh. Cause my mom wasn’t going to be home for a couple of hours and I figured we could stop by there? Do a little homework?”

Stiles’ heart picked up and he nodded dumbly. “Yeah, no that sounds like a good plan.”

Danny perked up. “Yeah?”

Stiles nodded, turning to Danny. “Yeah. Listen, I had a lot of fun on Friday.”

“Me too,” Danny said with a smile.

“And I really, really should have done this then, and not right now.” Stiles said, and before he could lose his nerve he leaned forward, pressing his lips to Danny’s.

They stayed like that for a moment before Danny moved, kissing him back. Stiles relaxed, moving his body closer to Danny’s as they continued to kiss. It wasn’t an ideal situation, or the ideal place, but Stiles needed to do it just so he could see if he could.

Danny’s hand came up and cupped his jaw, tilting his head a bit to the side to change the angle. He let a moan escape as they broke apart, and he felt himself trying to chase after Danny, even as they were both panting.

Stiles rested his hand on Danny’s shoulder as he opened his eyes, searching to see if he had done something wrong. Danny was smiling and Stiles couldn’t help but return it.

“I’m really glad you did that,” Danny whispered.

“Me too,” Stiles said. He could feel the wolf rushing through his veins, but it wasn’t the crazy need he had had on Friday. He was beginning to think he had this under control.

 

Naturally the moment he thought that things went downhill. Not right away of course, and not in any way that was completely life altering, but still in ways that were... life changing. Stiles had been feeling good after spending most of the evening curled up with Danny, another movie playing in the background while they made out. He’d been perfectly okay the entire time, not even one little slip-up. He just kept breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth and he could focus on Danny running his hands up and over his clothes. He could return the favor, and their legs could entangle and it was perfect.

The problem wasn’t with what had happened there, the problem had come up later. And he really thought the problem could have been avoided if Derek hadn’t been a shy little brat and knew how to use his words. Which was why Stiles was knocking furiously on Derek’s apartment door at two in the morning, uncaring that he might be sleeping.

The door swung open and Stiles glared at him.

“Stiles, what’s the matter?” Derek asked, nose crinkling as he no doubt got a whiff of what Stiles smelled like.

“I don’t know, you tell me. I have a knot on my dick!” Derek stared at him in growing horror and Stiles growled, pushing him to the side so he could come in. “You couldn’t have maybe mentioned this when we were having our heart to heart about control?” Derek was frozen by the door and Stiles flailed in the middle of the living room. “Hello? Dick! Knot! Is this not normal? A little help?”

Derek just continued to be completely useless and Stiles collapsed into the couch.

“My life is over,” he whined. “Completely and totally. I will never be able to be close with someone ever again. I should just end my life now.”

“Stop being overdramatic.”

“He speaks!” Stiles called and Derek growled at him to be quiet. They were in an apartment complex after all. “Sorry,” Stiles muttered. “But additions to my penis? Kinda something I would like to know about.”

“When?” Derek asked, and even though Stiles could tell how much it pained him to ask, Stiles still felt it wasn’t enough.

“When what? When did it first happen? Well the first I noticed it was tonight, while I was really going at it, and I mean, like really, really into it.”

“Stiles! Not. I meant. Did your, your boyfriend, did he notice it?”

“God I hope not! We hadn’t gotten that far! It was when I got home.” Stiles buried his face under the cushions. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“You and me both,” Derek muttered, rubbing his hand over his mouth.

Stiles glared at him. “You couldn’t have mentioned this?”

“I didn’t know it would happen! I mean, you’ve been a werewolf for a while! I thought if it was going to happen you would have noticed already!”

“Oh my god! You are completely useless as a werewolf Yoda! I revoke your status!” Stiles whined into the cushions, shaking his body as he did so his full misery was completely captured.

Derek growled at him, and Stiles growled back, even though it was muffled by the cushion. “So. No one saw it?”

“No! Oh my god. I was alone. In my room. Jacking off. Alone. Me and my hand.” Stiles made sure to go over the top just to make Derek uncomfortable. “And then, right as I was about to, you know, orgasm,” he flailed, “knot! Right there!”

“Yeah. I’m getting that.” Derek heaved a sigh. “You know there’s a way to control that?”

Stiles shot up. “What?” Derek was flushing, but Stiles didn’t care about his shame in light of a solution. “Talk now Derek or hear me cry more.”

Derek growled some more, but at this point Stiles couldn’t care less. He was sure one day Derek would realize it was pointless. “Well, it’s the first time it happened right? Obviously it doesn’t happen every time. Therefore you can control it. End of story.”

“No, no, not _end of story_. Beginning of story. Start explaining.”

“It’s like everything else. It’s, the knot is just another part of the transformation.”

“I don’t remember the knot when I was shifted.”

“Were you fucking when you were shifted?”

“Touche,” Stiles groaned and lifted himself up so he could look at Derek. “So this knot thing, is just like everything else with my shift?” Derek nodded. “So it’s just one more control thing?” Again Derek nodded. Stiles collapsed back into the cushion. “Thank god. I thought I was going to be a freak forever.”

“Congratulations,” Derek said with a sigh. “Now that your crisis has been averted, we are never speaking about this ever again, and I am going back to bed.”

“Cool. I’m staying here.” Stiles said, patting the couch. “It’s comfy.”

He couldn’t see Derek roll his eyes but he was sure it was there. “Fine by me. Is your dad working the late shift?”

Stiles nodded. “Until Thursday. So I’m just going to stay here and contemplate my life choices.”

“Have fun. If you wake me up when you leave for school I’ll-“

“Rip my throat out with your teeth, got it, big boy.” Stiles gave him a thumbs up, and didn’t look up until the door to Derek’s room was shut. He let out a big sigh and shifted to get comfortable on the couch. This was not going to be something he was going to mention to Scott. Definitely not.

On the plus side, he was pretty positive that if all else failed there were groups for this kind of fetish. The internet had everything after all.

***

“So how’s school going?” Allison’s dad asked over dinner.

Allison looked up from where she was eating her pasta and swallowed before answering. “It’s going alright? I’ve made a couple friends, so they help out.”

“See, what did I tell you?” her mom said with a smile. “You’re a bright and wonderful girl. You’ll fit in anywhere.”

Allison blushed. “Well, I wouldn’t say that. But it’s alright. I stay after and watch lacrosse practice with Lydia and Stiles, their boyfriends are on the team so we kinda cheer everyone on? And Lydia and Stiles are in some of my classes, so sometimes if it’s boring we just go over homework.” She shrugged. “It’s fun.”

“Well, that’s good.” Her dad said, smiling. “I take it you’ll be going to lacrosse games then?”

She nodded. “I guess so? I know a few members on the team, Jackson the captain, and Danny, the goalie. We’re kinda, like a group?” Allison didn’t know if that was the right term to describe everyone, but it was the only word she could think of. It was obvious Danny and Jackson were best friends, and Lydia was Jackson’s girlfriend, and Danny’s good friend. And then there was Stiles, who was dating Danny, and Scott was Stiles’ best friend.

Allison couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across her face at the thought of Scott. They shared a handful of classes together, and he was always there to answer any questions she had, and she was there when he had any trouble. And they were the two single people in the group, so when the couples started talking about dates, the two of them were left sitting on the edge. It gave them something to talk about.

They’d already traded numbers, just for convenience’s sake, but Allison found them texting each other a lot more than she texted anyone else, minus her aunt. She liked spending time talking with Scott, almost more than she liked spending time with anyone else. He was open and friendly, and while he might not make as many jokes as Stiles, he had a different sense of humor that Allison could appreciate more on a day-to-day basis.

“Actually, Jackson is having a party next Wednesday?” Allison spoke up, interrupting her parents’ conversation about a trip her father had to go on next week. “I was wondering if I could go?” Scott had mentioned going together, and while he hadn’t said it was a date, he hadn’t said it wasn’t, so Allison was hoping something would come out of it.

Her parents shared a look. “Where’s the party?”

Allison shrugged. “At Jackson’s house. It’s going to be a pretty small thing I think.” _All things considered_ , she thought as she swirled her fork in the pasta, trying not to come off as lying. “I would be home at a reasonable hour, since it’s a school night and all.”

“Well, I don’t see why not?” Her mom said with a smile. “New school, new place. As long as you’re home at a decent hour.”

Allison beamed. “Of course!” She couldn’t wait to be done with dinner so she could text Scott to tell him she would love to go with him.

***

“What do you mean he’s not coming?” Jackson demanded as he and Danny worked out.

Danny let out a breath as he finished his final set. “Like I said. He already has plans.” Jackson glared. “What? You didn’t even want him to come.”

“Of course I didn’t! But you’re going to be there! So I figured he’d show up.”

“Switch with me,” Danny said, sitting up and flexing his biceps. Jackson took a seat next to him, reaching up to massage the muscle. Danny hissed. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Here, I’ll spot you.”

Jackson watched as Danny got up and he got into position to do his set. “I still don’t see why you like him. You two haven’t even gone on any real dates, just those stupid movie nights at each other’s houses, and now he’s ditching this party?”

“Jackson, those _are_ dates. Just because we don’t go out in public-“

“And why don’t you? Is he ashamed of you?”

Danny sighed, offering chalk powder to Jackson. “You obviously missed the part where him and I eat lunch together, and hold hands in the hall, and kiss each other hello and goodbye.” Jackson grunted but Danny just kept talking. “Do we really need to go over this again?”

“Yes. We do. Because you’re my best friend Danny, and you’ve never given Stilinski a second glance.”

“Ready?” Jackson nodded and began his sets as Danny kept talking. “He’s just a lot of fun to be around. That’s it. That’s why I like him. He’s not super high maintenance, and he’s fine running off with his friends, just like he’s fine with you and me hanging out. He doesn’t think anything of it.”

“Still don’t know why that one guy was jealous.”

Danny laughed, and Jackson closed his eyes, focusing on the weight. “Well, you were over-affectionate that night.”

“That guy wasn’t treating you right,” Jackson grunted.

“I know.” Danny said, pure affection in his voice. It struck a chord deep down inside Jackson. “And anyway, for your information, since Stiles isn’t able to come to this he said we’ll go on a _real, public_ date soon.” Danny took a moment before he continued talking, “but that’s it. There’s no secret or something untoward. Just two people enjoying each other’s company.” Jackson opened his eyes, finishing the first rep in time to see Danny grin wickedly. “The fact that he’s not a bad kisser doesn’t hurt either.”

Jackson glared. “I didn’t need to hear that.”

Danny just laughed some more, counting off the seconds that Jackson had to rest. “I don’t expect the two of you to become best friends. What you’re doing right now is fine. Really. Set.”

Jackson started in on his next rep. He focused on the burn in his arms and chest instead of the way his emotions were raging. There was something up, and he couldn’t explain it.

***

Stiles had been disappointed about missing the party, and he had thought about risking a few hours there because it was a party and he’d been invited, but by midday on Wednesday he could feel the wolf at the surface of his skin. Scott was a happy boy at least, as he kept reminding Stiles every few minutes that he was taking Allison, and they were going on a date.

Stiles didn’t have the heart to tell Scott that it didn’t count as a date if both parties didn’t know it was a date. He wasn’t that mean, even though it was a fight not to snap it the thirtieth time Scott mentioned it. By the end of the school day he was rushing off to his car, not feeling like he would be able to last through lacrosse practice. He wanted to run through the woods.

Danny grabbed him right as he got to his Jeep.

“Hey, where are you running off to?” He grinned. “Math wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Stiles blinked, his mind brought back into the present. All of his senses focused on Danny, and his wolf was growling with the need to get closer to him, to do things, to mark him.

“What?” Stiles asked. “I mean. No, I just,” he fumbled with pulling out his phone. “I need to meet up with Derek.” His heart rate was going crazy and it was a lot harder to control himself now than it had been any other day.

Yesterday they had been making out, and nothing bad had happened. Stiles had gotten his shirt off, and he hadn’t felt as out of control as he did right now.

Danny frowned. “You can’t even stay for practice?”

Stiles felt Danny lean closer, and he pressed a quick kiss to Danny’s lips. He couldn’t do more, because being this close, with Danny trapping him between his body and the jeep, made him want to flip their positions. He wanted to do so much.

“Sorry,” Stiles said weakly. “I’ll see you tomorrow though, okay?”

He turned around, scrambling into his Jeep before Danny could do anything to stop him. Stiles waved as he pulled out. He felt bad for ditching Danny like that, but he couldn’t risk being out in public for much longer.

Stiles drove to the old Hale house, where he was leaving his car for the night, and texted Derek. He then texted his dad, reminding him that he was going to be out with Scott all night. By the time he was done with that his heartbeat had gone down, and he felt almost in control. He took deep breaths in through his nose, because while a part of him wanted the wolf to just run free, he had a feeling that if he wasn’t trying to be in control tonight, he’d end up causing Derek even more trouble trying to get to Danny and Scott.

Stiles didn’t want that.

He looked up as Derek drove up next to his car, getting out. Stiles waved, trying to smile.

“Rough day?” Derek asked, stripping his leather jacket off and tossing it back in the car. Stiles shrugged, copying Derek by removing his own hoodie.

“Different. I’m sure you heard me get close to losing it just a bit ago.”

Derek nodded, looking up at his old house. Stiles could see the haunted look on his face as he took a deep breath, his eyes bleeding ice blue when he exhaled.

“Someone’s been around here.”

Stiles copied him, trying to sort out all the scents. He recognized the smell of a few cops and the K-9 team, but they were a few days old. Stiles shook his head, not recognizing any of the other human scents.

“I think they are still doing a search team, but I think the wolfsbane masked Laura’s scent well enough that the dogs didn’t pick it up.”

Derek’s eyes locked onto Laura’s grave, but it hadn’t been disturbed. “Maybe.” He sighed. “Probably just some teens. I saw some graffiti inside.”

Stiles nodded as they started walking away from the house. “Think they were trying to loot the place?”

Derek shrugged. “I got most of the important stuff.”

“But you haven’t unpacked any of it yet,” Stiles reminded him, but he wasn’t saying it to be cruel. He knew how hard it was to go through loved one’s possessions. Derek had finally put up one photo of him and his sister in the living room of his apartment. Stiles liked to look at it because Derek actually looked mildly happy, standing in front of the Statue of Liberty.

“You think you’re going to need me to keep you on a leash tonight?” Derek asked.

Stiles turned, walking backwards as he thought. “Probably.” He grabbed hold of Derek’s wrist, pulling him into a hug. The sun wasn’t even setting yet, but he wanted to start running already.

Derek gave a playful growl and Stiles forced his wolf to the surface so they could play. It was freeing, letting go like this. Better than any other day they did this, because he actually felt like one person instead of two halves.

He wondered if that was how Derek felt all the time, or if he could compartmentalize his two sides.

“Stay close to me,” Derek warned as Stiles ran off so Derek could try and chase him.

Time passed by quickly, and Stiles felt more in control with each passing hour, even after the sun set and his senses went into overdrive. He could smell Scott and Danny outside, near the edge of the woods, probably at the party, but he stayed away. He let Derek guide him, the two of them running through the woods until they were exhausted, and even then they kept going.

Stiles tipped his head back and howled, and his wolf felt good when Derek returned the howl. They weren’t that far apart, Stiles having run off in a different direction while Derek ran downwind so Stiles could work on his tracking. He used his hearing to track Derek this time, running full tilt towards his packmate.

He didn’t hear the arrow.

He howled as it slammed into his side, and he felt himself shift back to his human form out of pain. He could already feel the cut trying to heal itself, but the arrow that was inside him was twisted, as if it was trying to maximize damage on entry and exit.

Stiles looked around, trying to find what had shot him, and trying to find Derek. He could hear someone rushing towards him, and growling. He whined, trying to stand as another arrow fired at him.

Stiles heard it coming this time and he ducked, running towards Derek. He had spotted two men to his right but he didn’t want to know more. Derek grabbed him by the shoulder the moment they met up, pulling him in a different direction.

Stiles whined again, the running jostling the arrow, but Derek just growled, head never looking back as he forced them to run to the edge of the woods. They burst out of the woods onto the street, and Stiles could tell they were about three miles from town. He pressed his face into Derek’s side, unable to stop the pitiful whimpers he was making.

Derek ran his fingers through Stiles’ hair, pulling him upright.

“Lemme see the arrow,” Derek whispered, looking around frantically before reaching for the arrow.

Stiles hissed. “I think it’s some kind of, twisted thing? Barbed?”

Derek nodded. “This is gonna hurt, but you can’t heal while it’s inside you.” He didn’t give Stiles any warning before he pulled the arrow out, his other hand clamping over Stiles’ mouth to stop his cries from being heard. “You’ll be fine soon.” Derek broke the arrowhead off of the shaft, tucking it into his pocket before adjusting his hold on Stiles. “Come on, we need to get back to my place.”

Stiles’ legs were shaking and he ended up leaning heavily on Derek’s side while they walked into town. No one drove by them, and halfway there Stiles’ wound healed enough that he’d stopped bleeding. He could stand on his own, but he liked the comforting feeling of Derek holding him close so he didn’t try to pull away.

“What was that?” Stiles finally asked once they got to the edge of town. They were at least on the right side of the town, and Derek’s apartment was only a few blocks away.

“Hunters,” Derek muttered. Stiles could tell how much that idea terrified him.

“I thought... why are there hunters?”

“Because we’re something to hunt.”

Stiles buried his face in Derek’s shoulder, not wanting to think about that. “Why didn’t they attack us last time?”

“They must have just come into town. I didn’t notice anything.”

“That was the scent at your house, wasn’t it?”

Derek growled. “Hunters knew we’d lived there. They must have found out I was back.”

Stiles frowned. “Or maybe they are looking for the Alpha? They could be following him?”

Derek shook his head. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.” He tightened his hold on Stiles as he opened the door to his apartment. “Did they see you?”

Stiles’ breath caught as he tried to remember. He didn’t think they had. He had ducked quickly enough once he realized he’d shifted. “I don’t think so. And I didn’t see them that well either. I think there were two of them?” He laughed weakly. “Oh, the jokes I will make if they turn out to be brothers.”

They fell into Derek’s apartment, and he double locked the door, making sure to include the chain. Stiles stood dumbly in the middle of the living room, shaking a little, and too afraid to look down to see how bad the blood was. Derek looked him over, frowning.

“Don’t move. I’ll go get you a towel,” Derek said, and Stiles just nodded as he finally got up the nerve to touch the wound. It was mostly healed, but there was blood dried all around it. He would need to wash it off.

Derek handed him the towel, and sent him off to shower. When Stiles emerged he had clothes waiting for him, and Derek pulled him into his bed. Stiles didn’t complain, tucking himself around Derek after he climbed into bed as well, freshly showered. He was still shaking, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been. His teeth weren’t chattering.

He could feel how tense Derek was, and Stiles grabbed his hand, placing it where the arrow had been. Derek’s fingers closed over his side, feeling the healed skin.

“I’m fine,” he whispered, burying his face in Derek’s chest. He kept his hand over Derek’s, moving with him as Derek started to stroke his side. He only let go so he could run his own hands over Derek, checking for injuries. “They didn’t get you, did they?”

He felt Derek shake his head, pulling Stiles closer. “No. They didn’t.”

Stiles swallowed. “What do we do?” He tangled his legs with Derek just to get closer, needing the comfort of pack.

“I don’t know. But we’ll be alright, okay?” Stiles could hear how unsure Derek sounded, but he let him lie. He took comfort in it because the other option was blind panic. He wasn’t ready for blind panic.

Stiles closed his eyes and let Derek’s heartbeat lull him to sleep.


	4. Episode 4: Please turn me (on)

Derek woke up with his internal clock, eyes snapping open to stare at the ceiling as he used his other senses to take in every detail in his room. Stiles was pressed against his side, arm thrown over Derek’s stomach as he slept soundly. Derek thought about trying to edge out of the embrace, his mind already racing with the million things he needed to do. He needed to find the hunters who had attacked them. He needed to figure out what Stiles and he could do to protect themselves against future attacks. He needed to move their cars from where they were parked by the old house. He needed to make sure the wound on Stiles’ side had healed, even though he had already checked the night before.  
   
Stiles snuggled closer to him, his hand stroking Derek’s stomach and chest in a soothing gesture. “Too early,” he mumbled, obviously half-asleep. “Calm down.”  
   
Derek blinked and shifted, wrapping both arms Stiles, who burrowed deeper in his embrace. “Sorry,” he whispered, not sure what else he could say. He hadn’t meant to wake up Stiles.  
   
Stiles made a noise that might have been agreement as his breathing evened out. Once Derek was sure he had fallen back asleep he slowly untangled himself from Stiles, planning on at least getting up, brushing his teeth, and as he ran his hand over his chin, probably shaving too. Stiles didn’t make a fuss about being left alone, and by the time Derek had returned from his morning hygiene ritual Stiles had taken over the bed.  
   
He shook his head, grabbing their clothes from where he had tossed them into a pile the night before. It was only 5:30 giving him time to wash them so Stiles would have clothes that fit him for school. If they were smart they would have kept a change of clothes or two around his apartment, but they hadn’t thought that far ahead.  
   
While Derek waited for the clothes to wash, and then dry, he started mentally plotting out what he would do today. He couldn’t just roam around half-looking for the alpha anymore. He needed to find the hunters.  
   
He ran a hand over his face. He’d never dealt with hunters except the once, and it wasn’t exactly the most rousing example. He wished he had someone to go to. His family had been self-sustaining so they never needed outside wolf help, and they had been respected, or at least feared, enough that hunters never tried anything.  
   
Until Derek had fucked up and gotten the whole compound burned.  
   
He shut his eyes against that train of thought. That was a dangerous path and he couldn’t risk drowning in self-pity when Stiles’ and his survival rested on him being completely focused.  
   
He’d start looking at the old house, trying to track the scents, which he knew was going to be a long shot. They hadn’t stayed long enough to make an impression, but maybe he could get a close enough match that if he started looking at motels in town, and in the surrounding towns he’d get a hit.  
   
Which left him with another problem. He was a Hale. Any hunter worth their weight would know the name, and while there had been humans in his family, hunters knew he wasn’t one of them. Every instinct inside him was screaming at him to run. They had no pack, no alpha to protect them. He had a giant target on his back labeling him a werewolf to anyone who knew what to look for, and hunters were smart. They’d follow the path to Stiles soon enough. The two of them hadn’t been particularly subtle about hanging out, and while Stiles always got a good laugh about the gossip he heard in class, gossip was dangerous.  
   
“Can’t a guy get a decent night’s sleep without waking up to his friend freaking out?”  
   
Derek looked up to where Stiles was standing in the entrance to the living room, rubbing his eye. “It’s 6:15.”  
   
Stiles glared at him, still rubbing the sleep out of his other eye. “It’s torture. I don’t get up until like 6:45.” He yawned as he walked over to Derek, dropping onto the couch. “That half hour is a huge difference.”  
   
“You do know you don’t need sleep like a human.”  
   
“If Spike can drink hot chocolate with marshmallows I can sleep for however long I want.” Stiles blinked, and it was like a switch had flipped and he was suddenly wide-awake. “What have you come up with?”  
   
Derek stared, but then it wasn’t that hard of a conclusion to come to. Of course Stiles would know he was figuring out their next move. He pushed the idea of running out of his mind. Stiles would never agree unless there was no other option.  
   
“I’m going to be trying to track whoever was at the house, figure out if they are here to kill us or just,” he paused, not sure what to say. He’d heard his parents talk about a code that hunters had. He knew that if packs proved they weren’t dangerous, blended in well enough with the community, hunters would leave them alone. Unless they felt like killing.  
   
“Or just what? Sending a message?”  
   
“Something like that,” Derek agreed. He looked at Stiles, sprawled out on the couch. He could tell he was thinking, wanting to say something.  
   
“Honestly, do you think they are after the alpha, or are they after us? Or does it matter to them as long as they get a nice stuffed wolf at the end of the day?”  
   
Derek shrugged. “Who knows. The news of the murder might have alerted them, even though it’s just been labeled an animal attack.” He paused. “Hunters have all means of tracking werewolf movement. They keep tabs on important wolves. They keep tabs on big packs. They hear whispers. For all we know they were just in the woods to be in the woods and it was luck that they found us.”  
   
“Do you want me to come with you?” Stiles asked, and Derek was surprised to hear vague hope in his voice.  
   
He looked at Stiles and frowned. “You can’t skip school.”  
   
“But why?” Stiles whined. His face turned serious too quick for Derek to process the change. “You can’t do it subtly. You’re a Hale. They will have you pinned for a wolf immediately, if you weren’t actually the one they were hunting.”  
   
“I know. But they don't know someone else has been bitten. At most they know there are two of us. If they think I’m just here on my own, if they don’t suspect anymore than that, maybe nothing will come of it.”  
   
Stiles looked at him, and Derek knew he could see every lie he had just said. “I will be monitoring you all day. By text and by sense. If I hear the slightest tremor from you, if you miss a single text, I’m coming for you.”  
   
“I’ll be fine, Stiles.” He swallowed. “But thank you.”  
   
“It’s what pack is for,” Stiles said with a slight smile, before he got up and headed for the bathroom. “In between your dangerous mission of hunter searching pick me up an extra toothbrush.”  
   
Derek shook his head. “Buy it yourself.”  
   
“It’s your place, you do it,” Stiles called, shutting himself in the bathroom.  
   
Derek sighed, getting up to grab their clothes from the dryer. People were starting to wake up within the complex, and Derek categorized every single person he saw. He already knew who lived on his floor, even though they hadn’t introduced themselves personally. He did it out of habit and now he was glad. It would make it easier to know when someone was looking around, trying to find him.  
   
He wondered how long they’d be safe here.

 

Derek went right to the house after he had made sure that Stiles was safely at school. They hadn’t had time to run there together to get their cars: Derek had to drag Stiles away from making the bed at 7:15 and tempt him with a cupcake confetti poptart to get him out the door in time, and so he had promised to drop off Stiles’ Jeep before anyone noticed it was missing from the parking lot.  
   
He was relieved that none of the scents had gotten stronger over the night, meaning that no one had stumbled upon their cars parked there. If they had Derek wasn’t sure if Stiles would be able to stop him from taking them both and running. He couldn’t protect them if the enemy knew more about them than they knew about the enemy.  
   
After he had dropped Stiles’ Jeep off in the school parking lot he headed back to the house. Even from his first trip there he knew it would be a dead end, but Derek still patrolled around the woods, trying to pick up the scent of something different. Nothing was standing out, but he tried to remember every little detail as he moved onto the motels.  
   
Stiles kept to his promise, sending him text messages periodically through the day. They ranged from simple, _just making sure you aren’t dead_ texts to comical, _I bet you look like such a creeper_. Derek was surprised that with each one he wasn’t getting more annoyed, and by lunchtime when he got the text that asked him to simply get a little closer to the school so Stiles could make sure he was fine, he realized that the texts didn’t bother him because they were just proof that he did have someone checking in on him.

***

Allison woke up in a great mood. She didn’t have to force herself to get up for her morning run with her mom, and it wasn’t just because that had been part of the deal when her parents had let her go to Jackson’s party the night before. Her mom noticed the shift right away, but she didn’t comment on it until they were looping back towards the house.  
   
“Are you going to tell me about this party?”  
   
Allison burst into a grin, and quickly ducked her head. “It was a party.”  
   
She looked at her mom, who was just nodding as they picked up their pace. “I see. Anything special happen at the party? Maybe something involving the boy who picked you up?”  
   
“Is it that obvious?” Allison asked, even as the smile refused to disappear from her face.  
   
Her mom laughed. “You just have that look. I’m sure I wore it after I met your father for the first time.”  
   
Allison looked away, focusing on her running. “It’s way too early for that kind of talk mom.”  
   
“I’m just saying. You look like a very happy young girl, and I like seeing you like that.”  
   
“Thanks, mom.”  
   
She hoped that by the time she got to school her excitement wasn’t as obvious. She wasn't sure if she could handle people making comments about her demeanor, and even if everyone else was too polite to comment on it, Lydia wouldn’t hesitate. She’d ask, and tease like she hadn’t been right there clapping giddily when Scott asked her to dance. Or told her he liked her, and asked her out.  
   
The memory made Allison unable to get rid of her smile and she jogged as fast as she could in her heels to the bike racks right as Scott was locking his bike up.  
   
“Hey,” she said, waving before she realized that was weird and out of character for her and stopped.  
   
Scott turned quickly, and his smile might have been even bigger than hers. “Hi!” They stood across from each other awkwardly as people passed by. “Last night was a lot of fun,” Scott finally said, edging just a little closer to her and Allison nodded.  
   
“Yeah. It really was.” She moved closer to him so she wasn’t taking up as much space on the sidewalk.  
   
She jumped in surprise when Scott reached out and grabbed her hand in his, but her smile was not disappearing from her face.  
   
“So, you haven’t changed your mind?” Scott asked, running his thumb over her index finger.  
   
Allison shook her head, squeezing his hand. “Can’t say I have.”  
   
“Good. That’s really good.” He started to walk them towards the school doors but Allison stopped him.  
   
“Wait. Don’t you wait for Stiles?”  
   
Scott’s eyes went wide and he was immediately scanning the parking lot for Stiles’ jeep. “Yeah. I-“ he looked embarrassed. “I kinda forgot. With the whole,” he looked at her and dropped his head. “I was really nervous you were going to think about it last night and realize you are way out of my league.”  
   
Allison couldn’t stop herself from laughing, moving closer to Scott so she could whisper in his ear. “I’m sure Stiles will forgive you.”  
   
“Stiles will forgive him for what?”  
   
They broke apart quickly at the sound of Stiles’ voice, but Allison made sure that she didn’t let go of Scott’s hand. She liked holding it.  
   
Stiles looked a little worse for wear, even though his clothes were clean and he seemed put together. It was something deeper, something in his face that made Allison know immediately something was wrong. She could tell that Scott saw it too because he was stepping forward with one arm up, pulling Stiles’ into a hug.  
   
Scott still held onto her hand as Stiles and he embraced, Stiles burying his face in Scott’s neck. Allison wanted to look away. She wanted to ask questions, she couldn’t help it. She was naturally curious and something had obviously happened. But she stood there, watching as Stiles squeezed Scott tight before pulling away with a faint smile on his face.  
   
“Thanks,” he said.  
   
“No problem,” Scott responded, looking at him. “Everything alright?”  
   
Stiles nodded. “Just a long night. I ended up crashing at Derek’s again. Hence shirt.” He pointed to the shirt he was wearing, a dark grey thermal that was too big for him around the shoulders instead of his normal t-shirt and over shirt combination. “You’d think the guy was allergic to color.” He started walking, grinning at Allison as his eyes darted down to their hands. He gave her a thumbs up while Scott wasn’t looking and she blushed. She may not know what was going on but she was glad she had Stiles’ approval. There was enough drama with Jackson disapproving of Stiles and Danny, she didn’t want to get involved with it.  
   
“Did Derek drop you off? I don’t see your car.” Scott was still looking in the parking lot, probably trying to find his Jeep.  
   
“Yeah,” Stiles said vaguely. “Derek’s gonna drop it off later so I’ll have it when I get out. Have you seen Danny?”  
   
Allison and Scott both shook their heads, as Stiles veered off towards the locker room with no more than a wave. She looked at Scott concerned. “Is everything alright with him?”  
   
She watched as a ton of emotions played across Scott’s face and he opened and closed his mouth multiple times, obviously unsure what he should say. “Uh. I think he just had a rough night? Sometimes nights with Derek do that to him.” He rubbed the back of his head as they walked to her locker.  
   
Allison nodded, thinking about Danny and Jackson’s overprotective attitude. “Is Derek Stiles’ ex or something?”  
   
Scott stared at her with wide eyes. “Derek and Stiles? No. No, they uh. They used to be friends? Like a long time ago. There was a fire, I guess? And Derek’s whole family died, and so he left? But like, it was way before my time so I’m a little fuzzy on the details?” He took a deep breath, letting go of her hand as he tried to use his words. Allison waited, picking up her books carefully. “Derek is like Stiles’ older brother. They have a lot in common, and so they hang out together.” He shrugged. “He’s an alright guy.”  
   
Allison nodded again as she shut her locker. “Well as long as Stiles is okay.” She bit her lip. “And if I can help with anything I totally will. He’s my friend too, even if we aren’t super close.”  
   
Scott grinned, holding her hand again. “I will definitely tell him that. So. I know this might be a little sudden, but we could go see a movie this weekend?”  
   
“Are you asking me on a date?” Allison asked, all other thoughts disappearing as Scott gave her a cute pleading look.

 

“We should all go somewhere on Friday,” Lydia announced as she took her seat at the lunch table. She was the last one to arrive, having to stop by to talk to her one of her teachers, and so when she said this she had everyone’s full attention. Allison wondered if it had been her plan all along.  
   
She glanced at the boys, who, minus Danny, seemed to think this wasn’t the greatest idea ever. She looked at Lydia holding Jackson’s wrist, still grinning. “Come on guys, we’re all friends, and we’re all dating. We should do something together. It will be fun.”  
   
Allison nodded in agreement. It didn’t sound that bad, and the only people who had any problems with each other were Stiles and Jackson, and in a group of six they could definitely buffer any clashes.  
   
“I think it sounds alright,” Allison said as she looked at Scott for confirmation.  
   
He looked surprised, turning to Stiles who was one his phone, sending a text message. When he saw he was getting no help from Stiles, Scott looked back at her, and then Lydia, and then Jackson. “I mean. What would we do?”  
   
Jackson took a bite out of his apple. “We could go bowling.”  
   
“No,” Danny said. “You know I’m awful at bowling.”  
   
Stiles put his phone away and tucked his arm back in Danny’s, moving closer to him. Allison only noticed because they didn’t normally do many public displays, but today if they were together Stiles found a way to cling to Danny. “I’m sure you’re fine,” Stiles said, kissing Danny’s cheek.  
   
Danny laughed. “I don’t think you know how dangerous it is going bowling with Jackson. He’s ruthless.”  
   
Lydia clapped her hands. “So is that a yes? We’re going to go out tomorrow?”  
   
Everyone nodded, except Stiles who looked concerned.  
   
“I think I have plans.” He said as Danny shook his head.  
   
“Nope. You promised me one _official_ date and I am using it.”  
   
Stiles pressed his face in Danny’s neck. “I’ll see what I can do.”  
   
Lydia glared at him and Allison could only guess that she stepped on Stiles’ foot with her heel when he jerked up from Danny’s side. “You’re going to come, right Stiles?”  
   
“Ow, yes Jesus. What do you have in your heels? Knives?”  
   
Lydia grinned viciously at Stiles. “They are called stilettos for a reason.”  
   
Jackson looked at her confused. “What does that mean?”  
   
“A stiletto is a really sharp, pointy dagger,” Stiles said shifting. “I’m sure Lydia carries one in her purse to stab all the unsuspecting people.”  
   
“Only people who annoy me,” Lydia shot back.  
   
Allison raised her eyebrows as an argument broke out between the three of them, and she looked at Scott, who seemed just as concerned.  
   
“Think it’s too late to back out?” Scott whispered.  
   
Allison looked at their friends. “I don’t think they’d even notice if we didn’t show up.”  
   
Danny was grabbing all the utensils from the table in an attempt to prevent a knife-fork-spoon fight from breaking out and Scott grimaced.  
   
“We should probably go just to make sure they don’t kill each other,” he said, finishing up his lunch.

***

“You’re definitely going to come tomorrow right?” Danny asked him as they walked out of school, and towards Stiles’ Jeep. He had a day off of conditioning because the season was starting next month and Finstock didn’t want them over practiced by the time the season came around.  
   
“Yes I am definitely going to come tomorrow.” He raised his right hand. “I solemnly swear and all that good stuff.”  
   
“Because I can see how much you really, really don’t like the idea of going on a group date.”  
   
“It’s not that,” Stiles said as they got to his Jeep, parked near the back of the lot. “If we are there together I will deal with Jackson, and not challenge him to a utensil fight. Which, for the record, I would have won.”  
   
Danny laughed, pulling Stiles into a hug and a kiss. “I’m sure you would have.”  
   
Stiles gave him a look. “Hey, I have extreme skills, like you don’t even know.”  
   
“I can’t begin to imagine?” Danny asked with a laugh, kissing him again.  
   
Stiles couldn’t complain in the slightest with the teasing kisses, even when one of their classmates called at them to take their make out session into the car. He broke the kiss reluctantly. He liked the reassurance that Danny was there with him, and he had needed it after last night, just like he needed to know that Scott and Derek were fine too. The fact that being overly cuddly with Danny all day meant that he got a make out session against his Jeep at the end of the day was just a plus.  
   
“Are you free?” Stiles asked, shifting against the door of his Jeep. “Or do you at least want a ride home?”  
   
Danny grinned, kissing him once more before pulling away and heading to the passenger sided. “Sure.”  
   
Stiles flailed as he got into the jeep. “Sure? What does that mean? Sure to which one?”  
   
Danny just shook his head, still grinning. “Sure.”  
   
Stiles pointed a finger at him before starting the car. “I am taking you home. I was going to be nice and let you come over, because my dad is at work until eleven tonight, but now I’m not sure I want you to come over.”  
   
Danny laughed. “Sure.”  
   
“You are the worst boyfriend ever,” Stiles groused, starting the jeep. There wasn’t as many cars jamming up traffic anymore so Stiles was able to maneuver out of the parking lot and onto the road quickly. The two of them rode back to his house in silence, and Stiles was able to think back on his day.  
   
He hadn’t told Scott he’d been shot, too worried that Scott would freak out at the news. Scott knew something had happened though, and he definitely hadn’t bought the whole “Derek and I just ran really, really far” excuse that Stiles fed him. He was sure part of that was the fact that he had been texting Derek all day to make sure he was alright.  
   
Even Lydia had noticed, and had tried to take his phone during History just to see what was so important. Danny had been a lifesaver there, intercepting his phone and returning it without a glance at the contents.  
   
Stiles knew he was lucky to have Danny, who was so trusting, and didn’t ask too many questions. He accepted everything Stiles said in the same way Stiles’ dad did. Like he trusted him that much to tell the truth.  
   
Stiles wasn’t sure if Danny and his dad just thought he was boring, or if it was something more. He liked to hope it was something more. He wanted to believe that people trusted him because he was a trustworthy person. Minus the few lies about werewolves, and all that entailed, there wasn’t much Stiles hid anyway. And he would tell them if he thought it would do some good, but it wouldn’t. Especially with hunters.  
   
Stiles’ fingers itched to check his messages, even though he knew Derek hadn’t sent him anything, but he stopped himself. He was with Danny, and he was driving. He should be responsible.  
   
He did give in once he pulled into his driveway, checking through the updates Derek had sent him, before sending him a text telling him that he was hanging out with Danny but if something came up to tell him.  
   
“Are you coming?” Danny asked, getting out of the Jeep.  
   
Stiles looked up, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “Yeah. I just had to tell Derek not to bother me.”  
   
Danny nodded. “So it’s cool for him to text you all throughout school but not when you’re with me.”  
   
“Exactly,” Stiles said, jogging around the Jeep to catch up with Danny, slipping his hand into Danny’s.  
   
“Will you ever properly introduce me to Derek or will I forever be left with the image of him denying you candy and dragging you out of the video store?”  
   
“That one. Definitely that one, mostly because that’s about the best impression Derek is capable of leaving,” Stiles said, opening the door and letting Danny in. They dropped their bags at the door, and Stiles stripped off his hoodie, dropping it over the couch. He turned to look at Danny, who had taken off his own jacket. “So, do you wanna stay down here or?”  
   
Danny’s eyes flicked up to the stairs, and Stiles felt the pit of his stomach heat up. He hadn’t intended the afternoon to be anything but innocent, but from the way they were looking at each other he wasn’t sure if that was possible.  
   
“Your room is fine,” Danny said, and Stiles nodded, grabbing Danny’s wrist and pulling him upstairs.  
   
He had intended on putting in a DVD, or pulling out his laptop. Danny liked watching him play WoW, and he always had commentary about the game, but the moment Stiles turned to look at Danny once they were actually in his room, he knew that wasn’t happening.  
   
They were kissing before the door to his room shut. Stiles stumbled backwards, bringing Danny with him as he sat down on the bed. They didn’t stop kissing even as they rearranged themselves, Stiles turning them around so he was straddling Danny’s lap as he leaned back against the bookshelf behind Stiles’ bed.  
   
He could feel the wolf rolling in the feeling of being so close to Danny. It was the best way to make sure Danny was alive, that he was real. Even though Stiles knew he was fine, he could see it plain as day, doing this with him made Stiles feel so much better.  
   
Stiles was biting and licking at Danny’s shoulder, giving him a wicked hickey that the team would probably bust his balls about later, when he felt Danny’s hands at his hips, playing with the edge of his shirt. Stiles pulled away to look at him. He could tell Danny was slightly nervous, and Stiles didn’t blame him since they hadn’t gone this far before. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, he had nothing to gauge this relationship against, but he could hear Danny’s heart picking up while he tugged on the shirt.  
   
Stiles nodded his head just a bit, and then he was lifting his arms over his head as Danny took his shirt off of him. He let out a breath, shivering a bit from the look Danny was giving him.  
   
“Not all of us can be Mr. Muscles,” Stiles said since he needed to say something. He couldn’t sit in these silences while Danny admired him.  
   
Danny’s eyes darted up to his face and he grinned as he pulled Stiles back in for a kiss. “Nothing wrong with that.”  
   
Stiles laughed before he was pulled back into another kiss. It felt different, being shirtless on top of Danny, feeling his hands moving over skin instead of clothes. He shivered again as Danny traced his nails lightly down his back, causing him to break the kiss.  
   
“That’s cheating,” Stiles whispered.  
   
Danny smirked, doing it again. “What is?”  
   
Stiles opened his eyes, even as Danny kept moving his hand up and down. “That.”  
   
“That? Not very descriptive,” Danny laughed softly and kissed Stiles, deepening the kiss before Stiles could protest.  
   
He felt himself getting hard, and straddled across Danny’s lap there was no doubt Danny couldn’t feel it as well. Danny shifted underneath him, moving their hips together, and Stiles gasped. This was definitely further than they had gotten before, and he wanted to remember each detail. He wanted to take it slow, but at the same time he wanted more.  
   
Stiles reached down, tugging at Danny’s shirt. He wanted it off so he could feel what skin on skin felt like. He wanted to know if it was as good as he thought it would be. Danny broke their kiss, pushing gently at Stiles to get him off of him.  
   
Stiles went, watching as Danny flipped their positions, careful not to fall off the bed, moving in between his spread legs. He suddenly looked shy as he started to pull his own shirt off, and Stiles helped him as much as he could, mouth going dry as he saw naked flesh. He’d seen Danny shirtless before but this was entirely different. They were in his room, and it was getting dark, and Danny was in between his thighs, pressing his hips forward so their erections ground together.  
   
Stiles gasped, his hands moving immediately to explore Danny’s chest as they kissed. The feel of skin was amazing and he pushed himself up so they could be touching as much as possible.  
   
He could feel the wolf in the back of his mind, content and actually under control. He didn’t even feel like he was holding back as he rocked his hips against Danny’s.  
   
Danny gasped, breaking the kiss to bury his face in Stiles’ shoulder, biting and leaving his own mark. Stiles groaned, running his fingers through Danny’s hair to encourage him. He knew any mark Danny made wouldn’t last long, and he was sure that would raise some questions but he didn’t care.  
   
They were both getting sweaty, and his jeans were pressing tight against his cock in a way that felt too good. He could feel Danny’s and it sent a thrill through his body, knowing that Danny was just as turned on as he was.  
   
Danny let go of his shoulder, and Stiles turned his head to kiss him. He could tell they were both close, could hear it in the way Danny’s heart was picking up, the way his eyes were dilated and he was panting and it just turned him on more knowing that he had done this. Danny wanted him this much. Danny was enjoying this just as much.  
   
Stiles gasped, pressing his lips to Danny’s as he stilled, coming in his pants. He felt Danny go still as well, and the room immediately smelled like sex. Stiles pressed his face into Danny’s neck, kissing and biting gently before Danny rolled over, keeping him in a hug.  
   
“Wow,” he whispered after their breathing had evened out. The air was cooling them down, and Stiles could see goose bumps forming on Danny’s skin.  
   
“Yeah,” Danny responded and then he laughed, leaning over and kissing Stiles. “Yeah.”  
   
Stiles blushed and he was glad it was dark now so Danny couldn’t see it. “Sorry about your pants.”  
   
“No problem. Hazard of the job.” Stiles snorted at that response. “I should have a change of sweatpants in my bag from gym.”  
   
Stiles nodded. “You mind if we stay like this for just a little bit?”  
   
“Nope. That is fine by me,” Danny said as he cuddled closer to Stiles. 

***

Jackson looked around the bowling alley, bouncing his knee in excess energy until Lydia poked him.  
   
“Tapping your foot is not going to make them show up any faster,” she said, fixing her hair in her compact mirror.  
   
Jackson gave her a look before going back to staring at the entrance. “We could have picked up Danny.”  
   
“And if we had done that I wouldn’t have been able to give you a blow job before we got here, so take your pick,” Lydia said with a winning smile, snapping her compact closed. “And you’re still way too uptight, so I’m not even sure it was worth it. Oh look, here they are!” She got up with a sway of her hips, walking and embracing Allison.  
   
Behind Allison Scott was standing awkwardly, obviously not sure what conversation he should be following, because behind him Danny and Stiles were talking animatedly, both looking the picture of happy.  
   
It twisted something in Jackson’s stomach. He knew he was awful at sharing, and normally it was easy because Danny had terrible taste in men, but Stiles wasn’t looking like he was fitting that mold. The only problem with Stiles was that he was Stiles. Nothing else.  
   
“I’m just saying that I think you would be completely badass as a blood elf and you could level up fast enough to play with me over a weekend.” Stiles was saying, not paying attention to where he was going to the point that Danny had to stop him from running into three different people as they walked to their lane.  
   
“You mean a Red Bull fueled weekend of no sleep?” Danny countered.  
   
“Well yeah, but that’s part of the fun. Besides you’d be with me, and what more could you want?”  
   
“For you to stop talking maybe, Stilinski?” Jackson asked, sitting down behind the scorekeeping table. Danny shot him a look but Stiles didn’t even give him a second look as he rested his head on Danny’s shoulder, still babbling about whatever he was talking about.  
   
Jackson made a note to google _blood elves_ later.  
   
Lydia grinned. “So I figure it can be couples against each other, since boys versus girls would be a little uneven.” She shot him a look and Jackson gave her an offended one back, because he didn’t know what she was trying to imply. “Does that sound fair?” Lydia continued, looking at everyone.  
   
Stiles raised his hand, despite Danny trying to pull it down. “How do you play?”  
   
Jackson smirked. “You can watch us and see.”  
   
Stiles rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything as Danny started to run his fingers through his hair and down his neck. Jackson looked away.  
   
“I guess I’ll go first?” Allison asked.  
   
Lydia grinned. “Sure. We’ll go alphabetical order. Which will give Stiles plenty of time to see how to play.”  
   
Jackson didn’t really pay attention as Allison and Danny took their turns, zoning out. Lydia kept playing with his fingers and it was the only thing that kept him remotely grounded in the moment. She squeezed his fingers when it was his turn and Jackson grinned.  
   
His first turn was a strike and he smirked because he was the best and he would settle for no less. He turned, making sure to mask most of his delight, even though seeing Danny and Lydia beaming at him made him want to crack.  
   
“Nice job,” Danny said while Lydia gave him a kiss.  
   
“I have another go so save your praises,” he said as he picked up his next ball, getting another strike. When he looked back at the group he was disappointed to see that Stiles didn’t look particularly bothered by his skills, but the look on Scott’s face made up for it. 

***

By the end of the first game Lydia and Jackson were winning by a pretty large majority, though Stiles had somehow managed to make up for Danny’s non-stop gutter balls to get them decently close. Allison was sad to say that she was not enough to make up for Scott’s complete lack of skill.  
   
“It’s alright,” she said, patting his knee as he got another gutter ball.  
   
Scott looked at her with the most pitiful expression. “I’m sorry I suck.”  
   
“It’s fine. You told me you’d never bowled before-“  
   
Scott cut her off, “Yeah, but still. It’s our first date. You must think I’m such a loser.”  
   
She laughed, scrunching up her nose. “Don’t worry. I already knew.” He stared at her and she continued. “I got over the idea of having a cool boyfriend when I told you I’d dance with you.” She could tell Scott didn’t know what to say so she just pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “It’s fine,” she whispered as she pulled away to take her turn, high fiving Stiles as they passed each other.  
   
Scott was still frozen in the same position she had left him in when she sat back down after managing to knock down nine of the pins. She grinned, waving her hand in front of his face. “You all here?”  
   
He blinked, flailing backwards and narrowly avoiding hitting Lydia. “Sorry, sorry I just. You _kissed_ me,” Scott dropped his voice down to a whisper and Allison nodded.  
   
“I did.”  
   
“You can’t just _do_ that I mean, I should. You shouldn’t have.” He flailed. “I had a _plan_.” He sounded so defeated and Allison took pity on him, so instead of kissing him again she just squeezed his hand and patted his cheek.  
   
“If you manage to knock down one pin I’ll let you kiss me at my doorstep.”  
   
Scott stared at her open mouth, frozen in place again until Lydia tapped him on the shoulder, shooing him up to take his turn. He almost tripped over his own two feet and Allison covered her mouth to try and stifle her laugh.  
   
“A kiss for a good game? How cute,” Lydia said, and Allison could see she was already marking down a zero next to Scott’s name.  
   
Allison frowned. “Well not all of us are at the stage where we give out blow jobs for victories.”  
   
Lydia put down her pen and grinned wickedly. “But that’s the fun part. Right, Stiles?” She turned to look at Stiles, who had Danny lounging against him. They were playing with each other’s hands, watching Scott try and not get a gutter ball disinterestedly.  
   
“Hmm? Oh, blow jobs? Blow jobs are nice.” Stiles said absently, and a big grin crossed Danny’s face as he tilted his head back for a kiss.  
   
Allison couldn’t hear what Danny said when they pulled away from each other but Jackson must have because he stood up quickly, muttering about getting a soda. Allison arched her eyebrow, looking at Lydia.  
   
Lydia grinned. “What?”  
   
Allison really couldn’t tell if Lydia was the smartest person she’d ever met, or what.  
   
She was pulled out of her thoughts by Scott letting out a whoop of victory, turning with the biggest smile on his face. “I got two!”  
   
Allison laughed and clapped her hands together, standing up to give him a hug. “Good job!”  
   
“Yay for two points,” Lydia said under her breath, erasing the zero and replacing it. “Stiles, your turn.”  
   
Allison sat down next to Scott holding his hand tightly, reveling in his excitement. “Very good.”  
   
Scott blushed. “It’s really not, but thanks.” She leant in to steal another kiss but Scott moved away too fast. “Hey, hey. You said if I knocked down one I would get to do my plan.”  
   
Allison laughed, but her response was cut off by Stiles cursing and jumping up, walking briskly across the bowling alley, with a call that Danny could take his turn. Everyone else looked as confused as her as Stiles approached a tall, older man in a leather jacket and grabbed him by the bicep, dragging him outside. Even from this distance Allison could tell that they were arguing.  
   
She looked back at Scott, who looked concerned.  
   
“Where did Stilinski go?” Jackson asked, returning with a soda.  
   
Danny shook his head. “His brother just showed up, it’s nothing.” He stood up. “Here, I’m taking his turn, so help me out Jackson and give unto me your wisdom.”  
   
“I didn’t know Stilinski had a brother,” Jackson said, putting his soda down and walking up to help Danny.  
   
“I’ll even let you put your hand on my waist,” Danny quipped instead, picking up the ball and letting Jackson wrap his arms around him the same way he had done to Lydia earlier when he was showing her how to bowl. Danny actually looked like he needed the help though.  
   
Allison looked at Scott for clarification. “His brother?”  
   
Scott shook his head. “That was Derek. I don’t know what Derek could have wanted.”  
   
Allison looked back at the door, frowning. She couldn’t see them, and a moment later Stiles came back inside, looking upset and angry. He didn’t say anything to anyone as he grabbed his jacket.  
   
“Dude, where are you going?” Scott asked and Stiles shook his head, pasting on an obviously fake smile.  
   
“My dad needs me to do some undercover work a few towns over.”  
   
“Undercover work, really Stiles?” Lydia shot him a look of disbelief.  
   
Stiles nodded, looking up as Danny came over to kiss him goodbye. “Yeah. I get to go buy booze with a fake ID and see if I get carded and then caught.”  
   
Jackson looked at him. “You’re leaving?”  
   
Stiles shrugged. “Duty calls.” He tossed his keys to Scott. “Drive my baby home alright. Don’t have sex in it, don’t grind the gears, and don’t crash her.”  
   
Scott looked at the keys in disbelief. “But I can’t drive stick Stiles!”  
   
Allison plucked the keys from him. “I’ve got you covered. Have fun I guess?”  
   
Stiles rolled his eyes and jogged out of the building after giving Danny one last kiss and promising to call him later. Before Jackson could say anything else Danny had already corralled him back towards the lane and was forcing him to help him make the spare.  
   
“I didn’t know Stiles did work for his dad,” Allison said to Scott, who was still staring at the door.  
   
He jumped as he came back into focus and he just nodded frantically. “Yeah, yeah it’s. His dad is the sheriff so you know. He helps out as he can.”  
   
Allison didn’t need to hear Lydia’s snort to know Scott was terrible at lying, but she didn’t press it. She was curious though. 

***

“And you’re positive it’s the alpha?” Stiles demanded as they ran through the woods.  
   
“It’s another wolf Stiles, and it’s,” Derek didn’t know how to explain the sensation that an alpha had over betas to someone who had never dealt with them. “It’s powerful.”  
   
“Very descriptive. I will have you know I was _destroying_ everyone tonight. I mean yes, Danny wasn’t perfect, so we weren’t winning, but I didn’t even care because every time Jackson looked at the score sheet he got all red in the face and it was _hilarious_.”  
   
Derek growled. “I said I was sorry.”  
   
“And I believe you. And I thank you for helping me come up with that awful lie. Pretty sure Scott is confused as everything, and I really, really hope for his sake no one asks any questions because he really can’t lie.” Derek snorted. “Hey! No laughing at my best friend. He’s a potato sure, but he’s my potato, okay.”  
   
“Whatever you say Stiles. Just keep running.”  
   
Almost an hour into the run Stiles finally caught the scent they were chasing. It hit him suddenly, the strange sterile burnt smell. It wasn’t quite sulfur but it was strong enough to drop him to his knees.  
   
Derek slowed down and turned to check on him. “Bad right?”  
   
Stiles finished dry heaving and nodded. “You couldn’t have warned me?”  
   
“Told you I couldn’t explain it.”  
   
“You could have said it was awful at least,” Stiles said as he got back to his feet. “I am never going to forget that scent as long as I live. I will wake up in the next life knowing that scent.”  
   
Derek nodded, patting him on the back. “Come on, he doesn’t seem far now.”  
   
Stiles groaned, picking up his pace. It was easier to run now that he knew what he was chasing though. That scent would haunt him he was sure. But no matter how much they ran they never seemed to catch sight of the alpha. It wasn’t until they had looped back into town around dawn that Stiles stopped to catch his breath, forcing Derek to stop as well.  
   
“Do you think he’s leading us on?”  
   
Derek looked around. “He has to be. But I _feel_ like he’s right there.”  
   
“I know what you mean. He feels like he’s right out of grasp,” Stiles agreed. “But I swear we just ran around the whole county and didn’t find him.” Derek growled, looking at the sun coming up like it had personally offended him. “What do we do? Keep going on this goose chase or what?”  
   
“I guess we need rest, at least for an hour or so.”  
   
“Think his scent will still be around if we stop though?”  
   
Derek looked at him up and down. “We’ll be no good if we find him half dead on our feet. We’ll go back to my place, rest for a couple hours. We have his scent. We _can_ find him again. It’s not like he can disappear.”  
   
Stiles nodded and then paused, grabbing Derek’s bicep before he could run off towards his house. “What about the hunters?” They hadn’t talked much while they were tracking the alpha, just general shouts of directions, and Stiles assumed if Derek had anything to report he would have told him.  
   
Derek growled in frustration. “I couldn’t find anything. Nothing by the motels were similar to the scents by the house. And no new scents by my apartment, but if I smell something off we’ll reroute to your house.”  
   
“Sounds like a plan. I like plans.” Stiles followed after Derek back to his apartment.  
   
It wasn’t until he curled up against Derek on the brink of sleep that he remembered he had promised to text Danny.

 

The alpha’s scent was still strong throughout the town when they got up around ten. It blanketed over everything, and Stiles couldn’t stop himself from thinking that this was the equivalent of marking his territory. Derek was not amused at that idea, and reminded that Stiles that since the alpha’s scent was so strong it would be harder to pick up any other scents. That said, Stiles knew both of them were definitely watching everyone around them and their reactions to them as they walked through town, trying to pick out anything off.  
   
They spent all weekend running around the state chasing after the alpha. Stiles hadn’t even realized how far they had traveled until they were at the coast. It was surreal, knowing he had run 200 miles at least, and that he would need to run those 200 back if he wanted to get home.  
   
He knew he needed to give Scott an explanation when he got back, since the most he had done was tell him to cover for him while he did werewolf things with Derek. Stiles knew he was lucky to have such good friends, because Scott actually lied for him, and Danny was understanding, even when Stiles kept ignoring his calls while he ran around Northern California, tracking a stupid alpha who was obviously playing with them.  
   
But they couldn’t do anything else. They needed to find the alpha if they wanted answers.  
   
It was taking a toll on them though, Stiles could tell. They had slept in the woods Saturday night, taking turns playing look out because they were in a nature preserve and while there may not have been people, and most animals wouldn’t dare approach them, nothing came from being too cautious.  
   
The only reason they even headed back to Beacon Hills Sunday night was because Stiles had school, and Derek refused to let him skip. It was weird, but as Stiles was getting into bed, freshly showered so his dad didn’t ask too many questions, he swore it felt like the alpha was getting closer. If it made sense Stiles would think maybe the alpha had been tracking them the entire time.

 

“Dude I had the weirdest dream,” Stiles said as Scott climbed into his jeep Monday morning.  
   
“I’m sure. Now tell me what the fuck you were doing all weekend.” Scott glared at him and Stiles rubbed his eyes.  
   
“Is that anyway to talk to your best friend? Who is being so kind to give you a ride?”  
   
“Yeah. Your best friend who just spent all weekend lying to your dad, and my mom, and my girlfriend and your boyfriend? You owe me so much more than a ride to school.” Scott was almost shouting at the end of his speech and Stiles felt bad. “So talk. What was so important that you had me deal with that?”  
   
“Derek got wind of the alpha, and he knew I would kill him if he went without me so,” Stiles made a gesture, “we went together.”  
   
“All weekend?”  
   
“All weekend. Derek and I slept in the woods last night, somewhere between here and the coast, possibly a bit further north. The alpha took us all over.”  
   
Scott licked his lips. “Did you catch him?”  
   
“No,” Stiles said, hitting his hand on the steering wheel. “And it pisses me off because I can still smell him! He’s here. In town. I can _feel_ it but I can’t do anything because he’s playing with us. He has to know we are after him, because he keeps coming back here. We tried everything. We went down wind. We went up wind. We separated for awhile. We never caught him.”  
   
“You didn’t even see him?”  
   
“No. It’s so fucking frustrating, being taunted like this, and now I’m all sorts of fucked up because I spent all weekend wolfed out and I’m having awful dreams that feel real involving killing people and I really want this to be over.”  
   
Scott rubbed his back soothingly. “I’m sorry.”  
   
“Yeah. It sucks.”  
   
“Is this the wrong moment to tell you I told you so?” Scott asked and Stiles glared at him.  
   
“Yes. I don’t regret this Scott. I don’t want being a werewolf to be over. I want the crap with the alpha to be over.” Stiles let out a breath. “I was able to run to the coast Scott. We didn’t stay that long, because we were still chasing him, but I got to the ocean. And I made Derek promise me that when this was all over we were going to run back because chasing death aside, there’s no better feeling than running with him through the woods.” Stiles laughed, suddenly self-conscious. “Well I mean, having sex with Danny is pretty good too.”  
   
“You’ve had sex with Danny?!” Scott shouted in surprise and Stiles laughed because that broke all of the tension that had been building up in the car.  
   
Scott didn’t want details, but he spent the rest of the ride asking questions and then immediately taking them back with a “wait I don’t want to know!” It helped distract Stiles by reminding him of Thursday night, curled up next to Danny. They hadn’t done much more after coming, the plan had been to spend the rest of the weekend doing more, but then that plan had been thrown out the window. He’d need to make it up to him.  
   
All pleasant thoughts were brought to halt when they pulled into the school parking lot and all Stiles saw was the police tape. He’d heard his dad leave early that morning but he hadn’t thought it would be anything this serious.  
   
The flashes from his dream came back, the feeling of ripping some guys throat. He hadn’t been able to get a sense of a surrounding, but it had been so realistic that he woke up smelling blood.  
   
Scott seemed to be thinking around the same lines of him and he was already shaking his head. “No. Stiles, it’s probably nothing.”  
   
Stiles was out of the Jeep as soon as it was parked and flying across the lot to the edge of the tape. It was a school bus, covered in blood. Stiles could smell the alpha and the blood and it was only the fact that he had skipped breakfast that stopped him from throwing up. Scott was beside him in a moment, eyes wide.  
   
“This, this is nothing,” Scott tried to say but Stiles just shook his head, closing his eyes and focusing on the police talk.  
   
“Animal attack.”  
   
“Poor guy never stood a chance.”  
   
“Too gruesome.”  
   
Stiles only opened his eyes when Scott shook him. “Dude. It’s nothing. It’s-“ Stiles glared at him and Scott froze before grabbing him and pulling him away from the yellow tape. “Calm down. You’re starting to shift. I- I can see. You’ve never shifted before.”  
   
Stiles tried to get himself under control but it was impossible. All he could smell was the blood and the alpha, and all he could remember was his dream and the feeling that had come with ripping some poor guy in half.  
   
“Stiles! Stiles!”  
   
He snapped out of it at the sound of his dad’s voice, the whole world rushing back to him. He looked over to where his dad was waving him over. Stiles swallowed bile and walked on shaky legs.  
   
“Hey dad.”  
   
“You don’t look so good,” his dad said, reaching and putting a hand on his shoulder. Stiles took a deep breath and nodded.  
   
“Pretty gruesome scene.”  
   
His dad grimaced. “Yeah we’ve tried to get rid of most of the blood before school started but the crime lab won’t let us move it. Evidence and all that. A white tarp should be coming soon to cover it up.”  
   
Stiles nodded. “Probably a good idea.”  
   
“You know I missed you all weekend. Hope you had fun with Scott.”  
   
Stiles nodded again, unable to do much else. “Yeah. It was productive.”  
   
His dad laughed. “I’m sure. Try to spend a little time with me though, okay? I have next Saturday off. Think you can spare an hour for your old man?”  
   
“Of course dad.” He would have said more, talked about how much he loved his dad, and how lucky he was to have someone who could anchor him when he felt like he was drowning in himself, but the bell rang and his dad waved him off before he could get a single word out.  
   
Stiles pulled out his phone out the moment he was out of range of his father’s hearing. He needed to talk to Derek.  
   
“What’s wrong?” Derek asked as soon as he picked up.  
   
“You said you watched me last night? To make sure the alpha didn’t show up right?” Stiles asked, lowering his voice as he took the long way around into school so he had privacy to talk freely.  
   
“Yes. What happened?”  
   
“I had this awful, I mean terribly awful dream, and the details were fuzzy but I felt myself kill someone, and I woke up expecting blood on my hands. I really thought something had happened.”  
   
“You didn’t wake up,” Derek said cutting him off.  
   
“I know. But Derek someone is _dead_. A bus driver. And there’s blood and I smell him, Derek. The alpha was here and it smells like the blood and I’m kind of freaking out.”  
   
“Stiles, Stiles take a deep breath.” Derek’s voice was getting distant and Stiles thought of his dad, trying to bring his thoughts back into focus. “Stiles, I don’t know what’s going on. Each alpha is different, but some of them, for bitten werewolves it can be different. You have different feelings towards your alpha, and a different connection.”  
   
“Like share life scarring experiences connections?” Stiles asked leaning against the side of the school, taking a shaky breath as Scott joined him, looking worried.  
   
“Possibly.” Derek let out a breath. “Look. I’ll, I’ll spend all day here looking through my books. Come by as soon as you can, right now if you need. We will find out what this is.”  
   
Stiles nodded even though he knew Derek couldn’t see him. “I think I can make it through the day. But I’ll be over as soon as I get out.”  
   
“Remember, don’t bring your Jeep.”  
   
Stiles nodded again, remembering what they had talked about. His Jeep was obvious, and anyone in town would recognize it instantly. “I know. I’ll see you after school.”  
   
He hung up and collapsed into Scott, taking a deep breath to clear the scent of blood and alpha out of his mind.

***

“We really need to unpack the rest of your stuff,” Stiles said, looking around the mess they had made in his living room.  
   
Derek had thought he had unpacked all his books, but Stiles hadn’t been convinced, so he had spent the first hour looking through every box, trying to find more books. Then there had been all the print outs he had brought from his house. Most of them weren’t even useful, but Derek could tell that having so much material helped calm Stiles down. It gave him a sense of accomplishment, even though it made a mess out of Derek’s living room.  
   
“I’m not finding anything in these books,” Derek said, closing another book and putting it to the side. He looked at where Stiles had taken over the couch, looking between his laptop and a print out and another book.  
   
“I wish we had a better idea of what we were looking for besides telepathy in werewolves,” Stiles muttered.  
   
Derek’s response was cut off by the doorbell ringing.  
   
They both froze.  
   
The doorbell rang again, and this time there was a pounding that accompanied it.  
   
Stiles sprung into action, running into Derek’s room and shutting the door as quietly as possible. Derek swallowed, the doorbell ringing a third time as he stood up. He could smell three people outside, men more than likely. He gave one last glance around the living room, making sure that there was no signs of Stiles, or any second person.  
   
He opened the door just as the pounding began again.  
   
There were three men outside his door, all dressed in hunting jackets and Derek wondered if they did it on purpose, or if it was just a coincidence. He didn’t recognize any of them, glancing over the two men in the back, before focusing on the shorter blond man who was obviously in charge.  
   
“Derek Hale?” He asked, and Derek could already tell he knew who he was talking to.  
   
Derek nodded, not opening the door much more. It may have been the coward’s way, but he would rather be safe than risk letting Stiles be found. “What can I do to help you?”  
   
The blond man smiled. “Just doing a little check around. After that animal attack from this morning.”  
   
Derek narrowed his eyes. “I see.”  
   
“I’m Chris Argent, you might have heard of my family.” Derek had to stop himself from breaking the door handle, because he was trying not to show any reaction. “These are my friends, Martin Judge and Alexis Cardoza,” he pointed to each man before he turned back to Derek. “We just wanted to introduce ourselves, and ask a few questions.”  
   
Derek stayed quiet. He had nothing to say to this man.  
   
Chris looked completely relaxed, and Derek was sure to anyone observing them it looked just like a simple chat between friends. “Now, Derek. Don’t think we’re here to hurt you. Unless you’ve done something wrong. And you haven’t have you?” Derek didn’t answer and Chris looked at his two reinforcements, but Derek didn’t bite. He knew Chris was the real threat, and the other two wouldn’t do anything unless told. “Now. Why don’t you bring out your other friend. The one you were running around with earlier this month. We want to all get acquainted.”  
   
Derek shook his head, hoping he did it fast enough to cover his shock at Chris openly mentioning knowing about Stiles, or a second werewolf. “There isn’t anymore else. The person,” and at this one of the two reinforcements snorted, “you saw was my cousin, _Miguel_. He had planned on sticking around but you scared him off. He left the next day.”  
   
Chris gave him a pitying look. “So you’re here all on your own? No one to look after you? No friends to take care of you?”  
   
Derek wondered if word had gotten out that Laura was dead yet. If he said she was alive and Chris had heard otherwise he would have to scramble to cover his tracks, but he couldn’t come off as an omega. Omegas were dangerous, and it would just make the hunters watch him more.  
   
“My sister and I were thinking of moving back here, but she wasn’t sure about the area. I came ahead to see how it was.”  
   
Chris nodded. “Your sister, of course. Laura, right?” Martin and Alexis nodded behind him. “She let you come here all by yourself? I thought you guys tended to stick together.”  
   
Derek shrugged. “Live in a one bedroom apartment together for six years and see how much you want to stick with someone. We needed space, so I came ahead.”  
   
“But she’ll be here soon?”  
   
Derek shrugged again. “Eventually. Last we spoke she was taking her time. Cross country trips and all that.”  
   
“I’m sure. The last time you two did that it probably wasn’t the best time for sightseeing.”  
   
Derek held back a growl at the obvious taunt. He flexed his hand, trying to pull his wolf back in. He could hear Stiles’ heart picking up in the room in response to him getting angry and he took a deep breath. “You could say that.”  
   
Chris gave another one of his stupid smiles. “I guess we’ll just have to stop by again when she shows up.”  
   
“If,” Derek said. “We might decide to leave.”  
   
Chris raised his hands in mock surrender. “Now, now, no need to make changes to your plans if you had your heart set on staying here. We can coexist. We all just follow the rules, right?”  
   
“Rules. Of course.” It was on the tip of his tongue to demand what rules had been broken to cause his family to die, but he already knew that answer. They had existed. That was enough of a reason for Argents. “Refresh my memory about what they are. My mind is a little smoky.”  
   
“You don’t harm humans. You don’t turn humans. You don’t bother with humans.” Chris’ voice dropped low and angry. “I will personally put you down if one of these three things happens and I have any reason to believe you had something to do with it.” He looked Derek up and down. “I know there’s a second wolf. You might not have killed that man but you know who did. Tell me, and I will be more lenient.”  
   
Derek glared at him, his wolf clawing to the surface at the veiled threat. “I don’t. Now leave. And don’t come back.” The satisfaction of slamming the door shut was stopped by Chris’ boot blocking the door.  
   
They locked eyes and Derek felt himself start to shift. He tried to pull it back, because the slightest provocation would give the three of them enough reason to kill him, but it was so hard. Chris grinned and slowly removed his boot. “Have a good night. I hope you enjoy living here.”  
   
This time when Derek shut the door Chris allowed it. Derek stayed at the door until he heard the three hunters leave, and then he immediately locked the door, like a few locks and a chain could stop the hunters from getting in. When he turned around Stiles was standing in the living room looking pale and just as frightened as Derek felt.  
   
He took a few steps towards Stiles, and let himself be pulled into a hug. They were both shaking.  
   
“Guess we know who the hunters are now,” Stiles said, and Derek appreciated the fact that he was at least trying to inject some humor into his voice.  
   
Derek nuzzled his neck. It was becoming the best thing he could do when he felt like he had hit a wall, because Stiles was pack, and pack was home, and pack helped solve problems. “Yeah.”  
   
“Are they going to come back?”  
   
“I doubt they’ll ever leave,” Derek said, pulling back, looking around at the mess. His apartment wasn’t safe anymore. The thought made his stomach drop. He hadn’t unfinished packing for just this reason, but it still felt like a huge loss to know the place he was calling home was no longer safe. “At least we know who to avoid.”  
   
Stiles bit his lip as he nodded. “Yeah. That will be fun.”  
   
Derek looked at him. “What?”  
   
“I think. I mean I might be wrong because I only saw him for a second, and it was through the Jeep window? But the leader? Chris? I think he’s Allison’s dad.” Derek didn’t understand, and Stiles let out a breath. “Allison. Scott’s girlfriend.”  
   
“You’re kidding,” Derek deadpanned.  
   
“I’ll need to check what Allison’s last name is, because I really didn’t pay attention when they introduced her, but yeah. I think so.” Stiles let out a breath. “He didn’t. He wasn’t the one who burned down your house was he?”  
   
Derek looked up at Stiles, his mouth suddenly dry. There had been an unspoken rule not to mention that, but Derek couldn't blame Stiles from jumping to that conclusion.  
   
“No. Not him. Another one.”  
   
“Another hunter or another Argent?” Stiles asked and Derek really hated his perceptiveness at times.  
   
“Another Argent. But not him. He wasn’t involved, I don’t think.” He let out a loud breath. “No. He wasn’t.”  
   
“Good,” Stiles said, eyes suddenly yellow and hard. “Because I really would have hated to kill Allison’s father.”  
   
Derek’s breath caught and he pulled Stiles into another hug. He couldn’t think of a way to express what he was feeling so he just tightened his grip. He wasn’t even able to tell Stiles _no_ because that would have been a lie. 


	5. Episode 5: Sweat Baby Sweat Baby (fever is a Texas drought)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned to have this chapter finished by Friday because this weekend was going to be crazy and I wouldn't have time to write but that didn't work so instead I was up until 4am writing this chapter OTL
> 
> Also I totally didn't realize that if I just tried to save a chapter to post later the fic would still update :\ will make a note of that for next time and try not to do that again.

“So on a scale of one to ten, what do you think are the chances of us seeing the alpha tonight,” Stiles asked, hands stuffed in his pockets as he followed Derek through the town.

They weren’t running, even though alpha’s scent was thick in the air. Stiles had grown tired of the goose chase the alpha was taking them on by the Wednesday after they started following him, and two weeks on he was not enjoying it any more. Especially since Derek and him had to limit their hunts to late at night, heads ducked, constantly on the lookout for anyone because they didn’t want to risk being caught together.

The hunters had put a lookout by Derek’s apartment immediately after leaving, causing Stiles’ exit to be a challenge, and making meeting up there ever again too dangerous of a risk. Derek had told him if the hunters knew he had been turned nothing would stop them from killing the two of them, no matter how under control Stiles was. So they couldn’t be seen together, which would have been a great thing to think about before they had spent the last month running around together without a care in the world.

Stiles knew it was just luck that no one mentioned Derek during school, and he could only assume Allison didn’t think anything of it, or at least not enough to mention it to her father. Her father, the hunter who was after them. Hunters were the enemy, and Stiles knew he saw the world in black and white most times, good versus bad, but this whole situation just made it more obvious. It was them versus the other. There could be no middle ground, just the strange, tense standoff that there was now. The shaky unspoken truce that could snap so quickly.

Stiles didn’t even want to think what would happen when the truce broke. He didn’t want to think what he would be capable of.

“Stiles, Stiles!” Derek growled, grabbing him by the shoulder to stop him.

Stiles frowned, snapped out of his thoughts. “What?” He looked down the street, following Derek’s gaze. His eyes narrowed as a large dark form came into focus, furry, with blood red eyes.

Stiles gasped, and his body shifted on instinct. Beside him he felt Derek shift too, body tensing as his claws came out. He growled, crouching down ready to spring, and Stiles copied him.

The alpha moved, running away from them. Derek was sprinting a moment later, and Stiles followed him, not even thinking. He had the alpha in his sights for the first time since he was bit. He was not going to lose him.

They veered towards the main road, gaining on the alpha with each turn. It was large and fast, but took sharp turns slower than Derek or he needed to, and they were able to weave through the trees more easily than the alpha.

Stiles burst onto the main road behind Derek, swerving in front of the stopped car, jumping over broken glass, body already preparing to make the jump up onto the metal awning outside the local diner before getting to the roof, where he could see the alpha running. Derek was only a few beats ahead of him, making the jump with no effort, not breaking his stride as he landed on the roof.

Stiles followed him, touching down on the awning only to spring up to the roof. His feet hit the ground at the same time he felt something rip through his leg, a loud bang echoing through the night.

He dropped, rolling in pain as he grabbed his thigh. He felt blood on his hands and he forced his eyes open to try and assess the damage. Another shot went off, and Stiles saw Derek drop down beside him, but he didn’t smell fresh blood. Derek wasn’t hit.

“The alpha?” Stiles asked as he let Derek take his hand away from the wound. The bullet wound. He’d been shot.

“Don’t worry,” Derek gritted his teeth as he tried to look at the wound. “I need to get this out of you.”

There was another shot that hit right above them. They were hidden behind the ledge of the roof, but there was one more shot, and if Stiles focused he could hear the sound of a gun being cracked open to reload.

“Hunters?”

Derek shook his head. “I didn’t look.” He pulled away from Stiles’ thigh. “We need to move you. We need somewhere safe.”

“My dad’s home tonight,” Stiles reminded him, closing his eyes as Derek maneuvered them to a crouching position, ducking around the roof to climb down the other side.

Stiles watched Derek look down, making sure their attacker wasn’t lurking around. “We aren’t going to the old house, hunters have been there.”

Stiles grimaced as Derek picked him up, and a jolt went through his body as Derek landed on the ground, running quickly down a back alley to get them as far away from their attacker as possible. He sucked in a breath, trying to think. There was only one other option, one place that was safe, even though he knew it would probably end badly for everyone.

“Head to Scott’s.”

***

His private cell phone went off at midnight, and Chris rubbed his eyes as he looked up from the accounts he was going over. He had hired Martin under the pretense of doing them, but the truth was he couldn’t trust anyone but himself to double-check them. Running a business was tough, even if most of the time it was just a cover.

Most of his clients weren’t even hunters, something he hadn’t considered when he had started up. But at the end of the day it just made the cover that much better. He could travel freely, taking all kinds of artillery over state lines, and even up into Canada when he needed.

“Argent,” he said, not looking at the caller ID.

“Chris,” his sister drawled.

“Kate.” Chris rubbed his face. “What’s up?”

“I got into a little accident.” She sounded almost sweet and innocent over the line, but he could hear rustling which could only be her looking through the trunk of her car, going over the guns she had stashed back there. “I’m on the main road going into town. We’re gonna need to fix my window.”

“What happened?” Chris asked as he stood up, grabbing his jacket from behind his chair. He poked his head in where Victoria was already asleep, before heading down the stairs.

Kate was going on about the hunt she was on in Montana as he passed by Allison’s room, the light still on. Chris sighed, knocking once before opening the door a crack. Allison looked up guiltily from her computer, headphones on from where she was no doubt on Skype with that boyfriend of hers. Chris gave her a look.

“Allison,” he said sternly. “It’s a school night.”

She smiled sweetly, playing with the ends of her pigtails like she always did when she knew she was about to get in trouble. “Where are you going, dad?”

He let out a long suffering sigh. “Your aunt is coming into town and has a busted tire. I’m going to go look at it. When I get back I expect you off the computer and asleep.” She nodded, flushing a little when he added, “say goodnight to Scott,” as he shut the door.

“Chris, are you listening?” Kate asked as he jogged down the stairs.

“Yes. You heard news about the murders over here and decided to head over.”

“Yup. But here’s the strange part. I hit about Walla Walla and suddenly I pick up the trail of an alpha. Lead me straight back down here.”

Chris groaned. “Which is the accident you were just in.”

He heard Kate hum over the line, but he waited for her to speak. “Saw it too! Big, nasty thing. You know how alphas are, though. Two betas were behind it.”

“Two?”

Kate laughed. “You sound surprised, big brother.”

He groaned. “We’ll talk more when I get there, alright? I’ll fill you in on everything here.” He hung up the phone without a goodbye, starting his car as he dialed for Martin and Alexis. He’d need someone to pick up Kate’s car.

***

There was a soft blue light coming from what Derek could only assume was Scott’s room. He looked at the wrap around patio, trying to judge how best to jump up to Scott’s bedroom window while keeping Stiles comfortable. He had started to sweat as they ran, and Derek could smell the wolfsbane from the bullet seeping into Stiles’ blood stream. He needed to get the bullet out as soon as possible, and he would have done it already but they _weren’t safe yet_. He couldn’t help Stiles until they were safe.

“I have a key. Grab it from my pocket,” Stiles mumbled into his shoulder and Derek shifted him, not asking questions as he fumbled for Stiles’ keys, reaching inside his jean pocket.

He opened the door, stumbling in as Stiles tried to kick the door shut. Derek growled softly at him and Stiles smiled faintly.

“Don’t overexert yourself.”

“Dude, it’s just shutting the door,” Stiles said. “It’s not like I’m dying.”

Derek’s eyes narrowed at Stiles’ leg but instead of saying anything he just picked Stiles up, walking up the stairs. He didn’t want to risk Stiles hurting himself even more, but it worried him when Stiles just relaxed in his arms, not even giving a snide comment.

The scent of disease was getting stronger.

Derek focused on Scott’s scent instead, using it to figure out which room was his. He was surprised that Scott hadn’t come out to see who was stomping around, but he didn’t think too hard on it as he kicked the door to Scott’s room open, hurrying over to the bed so he could put Stiles down.

He ignored Scott’s shout of surprise, focusing all his attention on helping Stiles get his pants off. Or at least down to his knees. Derek just needed to see the bullet wound. Stiles hissed in pain but the snarky words Derek was sure were about to come out were cut off by Scott.

“What the fuck?!”

Derek growled, looking over the entry point on the side of Stiles’ right thigh. The wolfsbane had stopped the wound from healing over and he needed to get the bullet out.

Stiles’ scent spiked with fear. “Tweezers! Scott get tweezers!” Stiles ordered. Derek looked up at his face, frowning when he saw how pale Stiles had gotten.

He could hear Scott in the distance, having run out of the room to get tweezers, but Derek couldn’t focus on that. All he could focus on was the fact that his pack mate was hurt, smelled diseased. Derek knew that smell led to death.

Stiles grabbed his hands, making him finally noticed they were claws and he was about to rip into undamaged skin to try and get the bullet out.

“Calm down,” Stiles said as soothingly as possible. “I’m fine. I’m not bleeding as badly so it obviously didn’t hit a major artery, thank god, and so the chances of me dying are slim.” He stroked his thumb over the back of Derek’s hand, almost like he was urging them to retract back to his human hands. “Despite what movies tell you, a bullet wound doesn’t equal death. Actually it’s rarely an instant death sentence. I did my freshmen research project on it. Well, actually I was supposed to do it on the Civil War and how Red Badge of Courage related to it, or something, but the bulk of my paper was that bullets don’t kill people, poor health care kills people, and ripping my leg to shreds? Totally poor health care.”

Derek stared at him, watching Stiles’ face flicker. He was in pain and scared, the babbling just a defense mechanism to hide the fact. Derek flipped his hand around, linking their fingers together and squeezing Stiles’ hand in his.

“You’ll be okay,” Derek said as quietly as he could, trying to will his voice to convey how much he wanted that to be true.

Stiles shut his eyes, laying back. “Tell that to my body. I feel off.”

Scott returning stopped Derek from saying anything as he held out his other hand for the tweezers. He felt Scott hesitate and Derek turned the full force of his glare onto him. Scott jumped and handed them over as he said, “what the fuck?”

“I got shot,” Stiles said cheerfully, before letting out a cry as Derek dug the tweezers into the wound. He tried to work as quickly as possible, reopening the parts of the wound that were trying to heal so he could see better.

“Take Scott’s hand,” Derek said quietly, letting go of Stiles’ hand so he could get some leverage by resting his own on Stiles’ thigh.

“Why were you shot? What happened?” Scott slid onto his bed, taking Stiles’ hand without a second thought. Derek could feel Scott watching him.

“Hunters,” Derek said simply, getting a hold of the bullet and beginning to pull it out.

“We were chasing the alpha,” Stiles tried to continue, his breath coming out in pained pants. “Fuck that hurts.”

Derek held his breath as he finally got the bullet out of Stiles’ thigh, the stench of the wolfsbane poisoning Stiles hitting his nose full force.

“The alpha shot you?” Scott asked, finally pulling his eyes away from the wound.

Stiles hissed, and Derek was watching the wound, trying to will it to heal. It wasn’t. The part of Stiles that he had cut open was, but the bullet wound was still open, bleeding sluggishly.

“No,” Derek muttered, clutching the bullet in frustration.

“No, the alpha didn’t shoot him? Then who did? It’s not like there are people hunting at midnight!” Scott said, getting up to follow Derek as he stood up in disbelief.

Stiles was tense on the bed. Derek gave him a look. “You didn’t tell him?”

Stiles huffed. “It wasn’t his concern. He would just have been worried.”

“What? Tell me what?” Scott shoved Derek, and he growled threateningly. Scott didn’t back down. “Tell me right now or I’m calling the police.” He wasn’t looking at Stiles, staring Derek down as fiercely as he could.

Derek could smell Scott’s fear, and how it spiked when Derek snapped at him instead of answering but he stood his ground.

“There are hunters,” Stiles said slowly, gritting his teeth as he sat up. “Werewolf hunters. They know Derek’s here, and we think they are here for the alpha, because they’ve left us alone for the past couple of weeks, even though they know we’re here.”

Scott turned around quickly, going back to Stiles’ side. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Stiles grimaced. “Didn’t want you to worry.” He looked down at the bullet wound, and Derek could see what he saw, his veins turning black around the wound. “Derek it’s not healing.”

Derek frowned, gripping the bullet in frustration. “I know. It had wolfsbane in it. The bullet.”

“That’s not good,” Stiles said, gritting his teeth as he tried to twist his leg so he got a better look at the damage.

Scott shot back up. “I’ll get peroxide.”

“It won’t do any good,” Derek muttered, looking at the bullet. He was trying to work out what could be done. He knew he had read about this before, it was in one of his books.

Scott stared at him. “What?”

“It won’t do any good,” Stiles repeated, dropping back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. “We need another bullet, from the same hunter.” He flicked his eyes to Derek, unapologetic that he had researched this. “I didn’t recognize the person in the car. Just thought it was someone normal.”

Derek shifted on his feet, trying to remember anything about the hunter who had shot Stiles. He had been so focused on the alpha he hadn’t paid attention. “They must have been new here. It wasn’t any of the other three.”

“Stop talking over me,” Scott muttered, gripping Stiles’ hand. He shot Derek a glare. “Explain. Because I bet you aren’t going to be able to walk right into some hunter’s house, so you’re going to need me to do it. Right?”

Stiles looked guiltily at Derek. “You’d probably have the easiest time doing it anyway.”

“Why?”

“The head hunter is Allison’s dad,” Derek snapped.

Scott froze. “Allison’s dad shot you?”

“No,” Stiles said slowly. “But he probably knows who did.”

Scott sucked in a breath, running his hands through his hair. “This is so crazy. I had dinner with them last week and they were perfectly normal.”

Derek zoned out Scott’s whining, trying to work out who the second hunter was. He wanted to go out and track, his wolf was begging for him to do something instead of just sitting around, doing nothing while poison crept through his pack mate’s body.

“Derek.” Stiles’ voice snapped him back to attention.

“What?”

Stiles gave him a look, and Derek tried to relax. He hadn’t realized that he had started to shift to his wolf form. “Do you think you could get us a better idea of who it was? And grab your book so I can tell Scott exactly what he’ll be looking for?”

Derek nodded stiffly, walking forward to give Stiles a hug before he left. He didn’t care if Scott saw him in this moment because he needed this. Even if Stiles smelled like death he was still the only pack Derek had. He wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to him. He pulled away from Stiles. “Stay safe.”

Scott stood up with him and herded Derek towards the door, forcing him to walk down the stairs. Derek had to keep himself from looking back to where he had left Stiles. Scott walked him to the door, stopping him from leaving with a hand on his shoulder.

Derek looked at the contact in surprise before glaring at Scott. He didn’t remove his hand.

“What’s happening to Stiles?”

“He’s been shot.”

Scott returned his glare, dropping his voice. Stiles could probably hear them if he tried though. “There’s something else going on. You two seem to think is much worse than a simple gunshot. What was in the bullet? Wolfsbane?”

“Yes,” Derek gritted out.

Scott nodded. “His body isn’t healing the wound. It’s working against it, isn’t it? That’s why there are those black lines.”

“Yes.”

“How long before the poison reaches all parts of his body?”

Derek shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It only needs to get to his heart.”

Scott dropped his hand, looking defeated for a moment before trying to steel himself. “He knows, doesn’t he?”

“Most likely.”

“We aren’t letting it get that far,” Scott said. “We can’t.”

“We won’t.” Derek sucked in a breath, stepping outside. “Make sure he stays here. I’ll be with him while you’re at school. Your mom isn’t coming home anytime soon, is she?”

Scott shook his head. “She’s working a full twenty-four hours.”

“I’ll text you all the information I find.” Derek started to walk away, but he stopped before Scott could shut the door. “Be safe tomorrow.” Scott looked surprised. “They’ll kill you if they know you’re working with us.” Derek left with the scent of Scott’s fear fresh in his mind.

***

Allison let out a shriek of delight as she returned from her morning run to see her Aunt Kate sitting at the kitchen counter nursing a cup of coffee.

“Aunt Kate!” Allison said as she ran up, wrapping sweaty arms around Kate.

Kate laughed, putting down her coffee so she could hug Allison back better. “Look who it is!” Kate took a step back, looking her up and down. “You’ve gotten so big.”

Allison laughed, a blush coming to her cheek. “Come on, it hasn’t been that long.”

Kate gave her a look. “Uh, yes it has. When did you become this tall, pretty thing? No wonder you scored yourself a boyfriend not even a month into your new school.”

Allison covered her face, trying not to remember that she is supposed to be upset with Scott for closing out of their webcam session for no reason last night, and then not even have the decency to return any of her texts seeing if he was alright. “You heard about that?”

“Your boyfriend? Of course I did. First thing your dad mentioned.” Kate pulled Allison to sit down next to her at the kitchen counter. “I heard he even came over to dinner. So you must like him.”

“Maybe a little,” Allison admitted, shy. She hadn’t thought much of Scott coming to dinner, but the way Kate said it made it seem like a huge deal. “How long are you staying? Maybe you’ll get to meet Scott.”

Kate grinned. “Oh, I’ll be around for awhile. Got a job around town that I need to do.”

Allison nodded, reaching for an apple. “I’ve missed you a lot, so it will be great to hang out with you.”

“I’m sure you don’t want to spend time with me when you have your friends.”

Allison laughed, thinking of what would happen if her group of friends mixed with her aunt. “But what if I like spending my time with my favourite aunt?”

Kate winked at her. “No harm in that.”

Allison looked at the clock, groaning as she saw the time. “I have to go to school. Do you want to drive me? We can talk in the car and maybe you’ll get to see Scott?”

“Wish I could but my engine broke down last night. That’s why your dad needed to get me.” Kate gave a half frown.

Allison paused. She must have heard her dad wrong when he said it was a flat tire. “Oh. Well. When your car gets fixed then?”

“Of course.” They hugged one more time before Allison ran out the door, kissing her dad and mom as she dashed for her car, hoping she would get to school on time.

She hadn’t forgotten that she was supposed to be upset with Scott, and she had every intention of ignoring him at least through homeroom because he could at least have texted her this morning to tell her he was alright. The last thing she had seen was someone, she wanted to say kicking in his bedroom door, and Scott letting out a shriek as he slammed the computer shut.

By the time she pulled into the school parking lot her thoughts had turned back to the pure worry that she had had the night before, and when she saw Scott locking his bike up it took all her control not to run up to him and give him a hug. She needed to show composure.

Scott turned to her before she could say anything, and he looked terrible. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all, and he jumped when he saw her, looking around frantically.

Allison frowned and opened up her arms. “You look like shit,” she said, beckoning Scott closer to her.

He hesitated before collapsing in her arms, pressing his face to her shoulder. “I feel like shit.”

“What happened last night?”

Scott shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing happened.”

Allison pulled back, looking him in the eye. “Then why didn’t you return any of my calls or my texts? I was worried sick.”

“I know. I know. I fell asleep.” Scott looked sheepish when she just glared at him, not believing that for a second. “I don’t want to talk about it Allison. Just trust me when I say everything is okay?”

Allison frowned, but she nodded, locking their fingers together. “If something’s the matter tell me okay?”

“You got it.” He smiled weakly at her before checking his phone.

Allison wished she knew what was bothering him, and she had planned on asking Stiles in Spanish class, since that was the first class they had without Scott, but then Stiles ended up being absent. Allison leaned over to ask Scott if Stiles was alright, and he jumped, shoving his phone away, almost getting them caught by their English teacher.

Scott shook his head when she opened her mouth to ask about Stiles and Allison pulled away from him, confused. She couldn’t understand why Scott was acting distant and completely on edge. He kept checking his cell phone every few moments, sending messages out. Allison hadn’t wanted to be too nosy but she saw that a few of them were sent to Stiles, while some were sent to someone he hadn’t put in his phone yet. If it had just been Stiles Scott was texting Allison could understand, because they had a close friendship, and were constantly checking on one another, but it wasn’t.

She was confused and she didn’t like being confused. She walked alone from Spanish to Chemistry, meeting up with Danny halfway there because normally she had Stiles with her, and the three of them would walk together. She gave Danny a faint smile.

“Hey. Heard about Stiles?” Allison asked, dodging someone who was running for their next class.

Danny nodded. “Yeah. He texted me this morning. Said he came down with a pretty bad stomach bug. It’s throwing him for a loop.”

“I can imagine. Scott’s been texting him all day.”

Danny laughed. “Sounds about right. Wouldn’t surprise me if Scott took off during lunch to go check on him.”

“You think?”

“Sure.” He shrugged. “I’ve done it once or twice for Jackson. Sucks being without your best friend.”

“I guess.” Allison pursed her lips. “Maybe I’ll go with him to check on Stiles after school.”

Danny held open the classroom door for her. “Mind if I tag along?”

“No, that will probably make Stiles feel better, you know?” Allison said after a moment of thought. She took her seat in front of Danny, smiling as Lydia slid into the seat to her left.

“What would make Stiles feel better?” Lydia asked, looking around. “And where is he?”

Danny leaned forward, laughing. “He’s sick.” Lydia scrunched up her nose in distaste. “Me, Allison and Scott are gonna go over and see him after school. Do you want to come along?” He grinned. “I’m sure that’ll make him feel better.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “I have better things to do than get sick. However I’ll make up a list of his missing homework and he can feel my presence that way.” She flashed a wicked grin and Allison couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes she didn’t understand half the friendships in their group. She was sure everyone was in fact friends, and got along in a weird, possibly twisted way, but sometimes it didn’t seem that way.

Scott came in last, dragging his feet and looking even worse than he had when Allison had left him at the end of first period. He slumped into his seat and didn’t look up until Allison had poked him in the side twice. Before they could talk though, Mr. Harris called the class to attention, beginning his lecture, and then immediately getting them into a lab.

Allison didn’t have time to think much more about Scott and his obvious exhaustion until they were being let out for lunch. She tried to catch him, but Scott was already out the classroom door, on his phone and Allison couldn’t run after him without drawing attention to herself. She sighed, turning to follow Lydia, Danny and Jackson into the lunchroom.

Lydia looped arms with her, tapping her cheek lightly. “Perk up. At least you know about Scott’s co-dependence early. It can only save the relationship.”

Allison laughed, but she couldn’t help but worry. Something was definitely off.

***

Derek felt his bones itching as he stood out in the parking lot, waiting for Scott to come out so he could hand him the pages Stiles had made him photocopy so Scott would have some idea what to look for when he was searching through the Argents’ house. Of course it was the Argents who had done this, attacking because they could.

It left a terrible taste in his mouth, one that had been there since he had picked up exactly who it was in that car. He hadn’t been expecting it, and really he should have been. He knew there was always the risk of running into her again, and knowing she was here just made him want to run away. He would take Stiles and they would run. It was safer. They had gotten too lax, too comfortable and this is what had happened.

He saw Scott running from the side of the school, not even checking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. Derek could tell how terrible he felt. He knew Scott hadn’t slept the night before, staying up with Stiles while Derek was gone, and refusing to go back to bed when Derek had returned.

“Do you have it?” Scott asked, swinging his backpack around so he could open it.

Derek nodded, holding out the pages. “Stiles wasn’t sure if you knew what wolfsbane looked like, so he made me include a picture of that, as well as a picture of the bullet.”

Scott snorted. “That’s a good sign. If Stiles can be a jerk then he’s still fine.” His eyes scanned over the pages, nodding as he read them. “And so if we get this bullet, we can save him right?”

“Yes.” Derek didn’t have the luxury to doubt his memory or the lore. This is what they said could save a wolf from wolfsbane poisoning and he was going to believe it.

“I’ll go right after school. You said I should be looking through Allison’s aunt’s stuff right?” And now Scott seemed unsure, thrown off by the idea of snooping no doubt.

“Yes. And remember if you need anything call me.”

“Got it.” Scott looked back at the school, probably gauging how much time he had to get back for lunch. “How is Stiles? He stopped replying to my texts so I hope he’s getting some rest.”

Derek shrugged as he flexed his hand, his arm stinging with the memory of taking a bit of Stiles’ pain from him. “He argued with me about sleep making the poison go faster, but being active won’t stop that. Better that he gets some rest.”

Scott nodded and started to walk backwards. “Keep me updated. I’ll get everything as soon as possible.”

Derek watched Scott run off and waited for him to be back in school before he took off back towards Stiles.

***

“Seems like you’ve a little infestation here, big brother,” Kate said, swinging her leg over the chair in Chris’ office. He shot her a look, not surprised that she had followed him to the shipping warehouse he worked out of.

“We only knew about the alpha and Hale. We saw no signs of a second beta.”

Kate folded her hands under her chin. “Now why don’t I believe that?”

Chris shrugged. He had nothing to hide from her. There had been a second beta, but since that first full moon they had monitored Derek day and night, and though he would come and go he never met with anyone else. There had been talk in town about him hanging out with a teenage boy, the sheriff’s son, but a visit to the sheriff had only led to the idea that the two shared a common bond of missing family members, and that they hadn’t even met recently, apparently talking out all their emotions or something.

Those weren’t details Kate needed to know, because they weren’t black and white details. Kate rarely saw the grey in issues, so there was no reason trying to mention anything like that.

“Wonder why Derek’s here without his sister,” Kate thought aloud, and again Chris shrugged.

“Who knows how werewolves think sometimes. We try to figure out how they think, but they just surprise us.”

“True. And it’s not like understanding them will make us not kill them.”

Chris gave her a look. “Kate. We don’t kill all of them. As long as Derek isn’t bothering anyone, which last I checked he wasn’t, there is no reason to bother with him. It makes life easier.”

Kate snorted. “If you say so, big brother. It has been my experience that the only surefire way for a werewolf not to bother anyone is to kill it.” She stood up, grinning. “But hey, why are we even worrying that there had been a second? It doesn’t matter now, does it?”

Chris looked her up and down, frowning because of her cockiness. He knew she’d shot the second beta, and it was probably dying a slow and painful death, unless Derek decided to put his pack mate out of his misery, which was just as likely. “This is very true.”

“So now all we have is to deal with the alpha and Hale. No big deal.” Kate grinned, sauntering off to look through his latest shipment.

Chris shook his head. Kate was family but sometimes the way she could switch from ruthless killer to all smiles surprised him. He spent most of his childhood hoping he would never become like that, but it was a shame she had.

***

“Hey McCall! You aren’t thinking about skipping practice today are you?” Jackson asked as Scott put his tray on the table. He was almost fifteen minutes late to lunch. The only reason Jackson had even noticed was because Scott’s off behavior was directly tied to Stiles, and Jackson made it a point to know everything about Stiles to make sure nothing went wrong for Danny.

Scott looked like shit as he glanced around, half picking at his food. “Yeah. I uh. Actually, Allison do you wanna do homework together today?”

Allison gave him a look. “Today? I thought we were going to see Stiles?”

Scott’s eyes went wide and Jackson watched him begin to get panicky. He took a long sip of his milk, waiting with anticipation for what Scott would say.

“We don’t need to see Stiles. He’s like, super sick.”

“So?” Danny asked. “I spent last summer with my grandma cleaning up after her.” He shuddered for effect. “Trust me, not much can faze me.”

Scott flailed and Jackson was amused by the antics. “No. It’s fine. Seriously. He really doesn’t want to see anyone. And besides he has Derek taking care of him.” He shrugged, as if it made him seem casual.

Jackson’s eyes shot over to Danny. He’d had words about Stiles and this mysterious Derek before. Jackson didn’t believe Danny when he said it didn’t bother him, and that he wasn’t concerned, because he had been the one to drive Danny home after the bowling alley when Stiles had just up and left. Danny had tried to distract him from seeing how much that bothered him but Jackson wasn’t stupid when it came to anything regarding Danny. He knew it was bothering Danny, whoever this guy was.

“What so Stilinski doesn’t need his friends coming to see him cause he’s already got someone there?” Jackson asked Scott who just shrugged.

“Just saying what Stiles told me.” Scott looked at Danny with big eyes. “I’m sorry. You can see him tomorrow when he comes back to school.”

Danny smiled faintly. “It’s fine. I’ll text him. And like you said, I’ll see tomorrow.”

Jackson sunk in his seat, his mood dropping as he saw Danny’s drop. He didn’t give two shits about Stiles, but Danny did and that was all that mattered.

***

“Are you sure you don’t want to go practice?” Allison asked Scott for the third time as she drove them to her place, his bike in the backseat of her car.

Scott shot her an overly cheerful smile, his fingers tapping away on his knees. “Yeah, it’s fine. I don’t even start because of my asthma so it’s not like Coach can do much to me.”

“And you’re sure you don’t want to see Stiles?”

“Nope. All good. Derek has him totally, one hundred percent under control.”

Allison looked at him oddly. She was waiting for him to pass out in all honesty, because he looked exhausted. She’d seen him dozing throughout the day only to wake up and check his phone. If she were a worse person she would take his phone to see what was going on but she couldn’t. She had to trust him when he said everything was fine, even though it wasn’t.

No one was home when they pulled in and Allison led them up to her room. She saw Scott looking around, just like he had every other time he had come over.

“Is uh, is anyone else here?” Scott asked, tripping as he got to the top of the stairs.

Allison gave him a look. “Nope. My parents are still at work, and I guess my aunt went out.” She shrugged, but she noticed Scott perk up.

“Your aunt?”

Allison nodded. “Yeah. My Aunt Kate. She’s staying with us for a little bit.”

Scott stared at her. “Oh. And so she’s staying here?”

“Yes?” Allison gave him a funny look because she’d just said that. “I think she took one of the guest rooms.” She made a vague gesture to show how large the house was before heading into her room.

Scott followed her at a much slower pace and she didn’t miss the look he gave her bed. She put down her bag and turned to him, grabbing him by the shoulders, guiding him to the bed. He looked confused as she pushed him down onto the bed, and she folded her arms, looking down at him.

“What?” He asked.

“Take a nap. You look awful, and there is no way you’ll be any help on homework that exhausted.” Scott tried to fight it, but she could see him starting to fade, exhaustion taking over his body. “I’ll get you up in twenty minutes okay?”

She watched as Scott almost immediately fell asleep, muttering something about his phone as he passed out. Allison let out a sigh and took a seat at her desk, opening up her Spanish homework. Usually she went over it with Stiles but he was sick, and a quick look online showed he wasn’t even on his computer. Maybe Scott hadn’t been lying about Stiles being too sick for visitors. And even though it hurt Danny, if Stiles needed someone with him all day it was good he had someone to take care of him.

Allison chewed on the edge of her pen, taking down notes and questions she had so she could share them with her teacher. She was sketching a stick figure with a curly mustache to go along with the story they had to translate when she heard a soft buzz. It was followed by another buzz, and then a third. Allison looked at Scott, eyes locking on his phone. He hadn’t woken up to it, which only showed how tired he must have been, because it had been waking him up all day.

She stood up and crept over to her bed, pushing down any guilt she felt as she picked up his phone. She was just checking to see if it was something important.

_have you found it?_

_scott_

_scott stiles needs it soon._

Allison frowned at the three messages, sent from a number that Scott didn’t have in his phone yet. She glanced at Scott, still asleep, and gave a quick thumb through Scott’s messages. Her stomach twisted in shame that she was doing this but maybe it was something she could help with. Scott might have forgotten he was supposed to pick up medicine.

Scott had been texting Stiles all day, asking him how he was doing, asking how Derek was treating him, and making sure he wasn’t breaking anything. The texts from the number, Derek because that’s who Scott named in a few of them, were more of the same. Checking in on Stiles, though apparently Derek had been outside the school during lunch to give Scott something. Her eyes glanced at Scott’s backpack and she wondered for a moment if she should look. Derek had said they were pictures of _things Stiles needs_.

Scott stirred and Allison slammed his phone back into her bed. She looked at his face and couldn’t believe she had just done that. Just because she had been curious, and a little suspicious, didn’t mean she should have looked through his phone. She stood up, feeling weak in the knees.

His phone went off again, but this time Allison ignored it, shaking Scott gently. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, already fumbling for his phone.

“How long did I sleep?” He asked, rubbing one eye as he looked at whatever Derek had sent him.

Allison bit her lip. “Only about fifteen minutes? I heard your phone go off, and figured it might be important?”

Scott nodded absently, sitting up. “Yeah, it’s just Derek giving me an update on Stiles.” He gave her a genuine smile.

“How’s he doing?”

Scott’s smile dropped at that. “Not so good.”

“I won’t be upset if you leave to go see him,” Allison said, swaying on her feet.

“No, no it’s- it’s.” He stood up. “I need to use the bathroom. Okay?” He pushed passed her and Allison frowned, her mind going back to the text Derek had sent Scott.

_have you found it?_

Scott was looking for something. Something for Stiles. The phrasing was off, and Allison didn’t know Derek but if it was something like medicine wouldn’t have he asked if Scott had bought it?

Allison waited a moment, listening for the bathroom door to shut, just to prove her wrong. She heard nothing.

She closed her eyes, unsure if she really wanted to look, but she was already walking out of her room, treading carefully so she didn’t make a sound. Her mind was chanting the mantra _it’s nothing, it’s nothing, please be nothing_ , but Allison passed the empty bathroom. Scott was nowhere in sight.

Allison sucked in a breath, worried. The horror stories they laughed about during lunch involving Danny’s exes flashed in her mind, as she wondered what Scott could be doing. She moved through the house, looking for him.

She went down the stairs, finally hearing a soft noise. She followed the shuffling to the guest room Kate was staying in. The look in Scott’s face when she had mentioned her aunt came to mind and Allison took a deep breath. She wouldn’t jump to conclusions. She wouldn’t. She would be calm. She would be rational.

Scott was searching through the drawers in Kate’s room.

“What are you doing?” Allison couldn’t stop herself from asking.

Scott jumped, hand over his heart as he turned. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally said something. “It’s not what it looks like.”

Allison stared. “What? What does that mean? You’re looking through my family’s house.”

Scott’s arms flailed, and he’d been doing that all day. Allison now saw it for what it was, a tell that he was about to lie. “Listen I can explain.” He flailed some more. “Well actually I can’t. I really, really wish I could. But I can’t.”

“Try,” Allison said harshly. She’d thought she’d breached some trust with checking his phone but this was so far beyond that. Scott was trying to steal from them.

“It’s for Stiles.” Scott said in a rush. “He’s not sick. Well he is, but it’s not a human sickness. It’s not normal. And the thing I’m looking for, your aunt has. And it’s a cure.”

“A cure?” Allison asked disbelieving.

“Yes. Stiles needs it or else,” Scott swallowed, voice breaking. “He needs it. You have to believe me. I wouldn’t do this unless it was absolutely necessary.” He swallowed again. “Life or death.”

Allison didn’t know what to say to that. She could tell that Scott was finally telling at least a half-truth for the first time all day. Whatever he was looking for was to help Stiles, his best friend, and she understood that. She didn’t understand what could make it so serious though.

“Is Stiles in trouble that bad?”

“Yes,” Scott said empathetically, looking close to tears. “Yes, he really is.”

“And this… thing will help him?”

“Yes. I swear he will be back in school tomorrow, laughing and joking and holding hands with Danny.”

Allison stared him down until Scott looked down at his hands, wringing them nervously in front of himself. “Fine.” He looked up with such delight. “But you need to tell me everything you can, and you _will_ let me help you.”

He hesitated for just a moment before nodding, already turning back to searching in the drawer. “I’ve told you everything I can. Stiles got in trouble and your aunt has something that can save him.”

Allison looked around the room, eyes landing on Kate’s bag. It was obvious Scott hadn’t looked in there yet and it made Allison feel slightly better that he was searching through her personal belongings.

“What am I looking for?”

“A bullet,” Scott said, slamming the drawer shut and moving to the other side of the bed.

Allison stopped. “A bullet? That can help Stiles?”

He gave her a pleading look. “Please don’t ask questions. Just. Just trust me?”

She sighed and opened up Kate’s bag. “Do you know how many bullets my family probably has lying around?”

“These will be special. Probably in some kind of box Stiles said.”

Allison kept looking, pushing aside Kate’s underwear and clothes looking for anything that could possibly hold a bullet. She pulled out a large black box from the center of Kate’s bag, and opened it, revealing an artillery.

“Got it.” Allison called, her pulling out a small wooden box with a flower and leaves engraved on the side of it. Scott ran to her side, trying to grab the box from her hand. Allison pulled it away from him, opening it herself. Inside sat two rows of bullets, one already missing. “This is it right?”

Scott nodded. “Yeah. I just need one.”

Allison closed her eyes as she let Scott take one bullet. “Is that it?”

Scott nodded, tucking the bullet in his pocket. “Thank you so much Allison. You don’t know how much I owe you.”

She nodded, putting the box back where she had found it. Scott was standing anxiously by the door, already looking like he wanted to leave, but Allison needed to make sure it didn’t look too suspicious. She grabbed a condom from Kate’s toiletries and when Scott stared at her she just glared.

“She’s going to notice something is missing. Might as well draw her attention with this.” He nodded, following her as she walked out of the room. “I take it you need to leave now?”

Scott nodded, fishing out his phone. “Yeah. I really, really don’t know how to thank you.”

“You could explain what’s going on. That would help.”

“Allison, I can’t. I wish I could but, I really can’t.” He took a deep breath. “And you can’t tell anyone about this either.”

“You think?” She asked, glaring. “What would I say? That you went through my aunt’s room looking for bullets that will save Stiles? What? Because Derek told you to?”

“Exactly! And you can’t, and I mean this Allison, please never tell anyone that Derek and Stiles are friends.”

Allison sucked a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She wanted to ask question. She wanted to demand answers. She needed to know what was going on, because this wasn’t fair. Something was happening and she was just sitting on the side lines and it sucked. She stuck her finger in Scott’s face, glaring. “Fine. I won’t breathe a word of this, but you are telling me everything you can. _Everything_.” She dropped her finger. “Tell me when Stiles is better.”

She watched as Scott ran up to her room, grabbing his backpack, and then ran outside to go wherever he needed to go, since Allison really wasn’t sure if Stiles was even at his house. He was probably in some underground warehouse, laid out on a beaten up sofa. Allison covered her face with her hands. She had no idea what she had just sent Scott off to. She didn’t know anything about Derek. She couldn’t even begin to fathom what was going on.

She ran back to her aunt’s room and pulled out the bullets again, looking at them, trying to figure out what Stiles could possibly need from one. She studied the bullet, frowning as she spun it around in her fingers until she finally felt it. The seam. She frowned, running her finger over the seam of the bullet, before she gave in and tried to spin it open. Flecks of some kind of plant fell out onto the bed and Allison could only stare and wonder what kind of drug this was.

***

Stiles woke up in pain, and no matter what Derek did he couldn’t take it away fast enough. It hadn’t helped that Stiles had realized what he was doing and made him stop doing it.

“One of us needs to be full strength,” Stiles reminded him, even though that was a straw man because Derek wasn’t being affected by the healing.

“Scott’s not going to practice,” Derek said instead of responding to Stiles’ worry. He curled around Stiles, moving his hand over Stiles’ hip. He couldn’t touch the wound but he could try to calm himself down like this. It was getting to the point where he was the one freaking out the most, Stiles staying calm because he had to. Derek pressed his face in between Stiles’ shoulder blades, taking comfort that the poison hadn’t reached that far up.

Stiles put his hand on top of Derek’s, pushing himself closer. “Good. He’s finally learning priorities.” Derek let out a pained laugh as Stiles continued. “Soon he’ll be back to turning in assignments on time instead of spending every night up on web chat with Allison.”

Derek let himself zone out listening to Stiles talk. It was comforting because even though he sounded pained he was _still talking_ which meant he was okay. Derek was finally letting himself drift into a light doze when Stiles tensed, immediately sending him on high alert.

“What?”

Stiles gasped, trying to sit up and Derek had to forcibly hold him down. “Scott’s mom is outside.”

Derek flew off the bed to the window, trying to see around to the front, but he could hear her getting out of the car. He turned back to Stiles, not sure what to do.

“We need to move,” Derek said, because it was no longer safe here, and Stiles just nodded, reaching for his pants.

“Text Scott. Tell him we are going to his work.”

“The vet’s? But they close at six, and it’s only four,” Derek argued as he took out the phone and texted the message to Scott.

“Not today. Scott said Deaton had some meeting or something so he closed at noon. He’ll be long gone.” Stiles tried to stand up, but his leg gave out, sending him back to the bed.

Derek growled, grabbing Stiles and picking him up. He headed to the window because that was the only way he could get them out of Scott’s house safely. He made sure he had a good grasp on Stiles before he leapt out the window, landing first on the patio roof before dropping down to the ground. He looked around, trying to plot out the best route to the vet’s office where he could be concealed.

Stiles squirmed in his arms but Derek refused to let him down, running while holding him because it would be faster. Stiles could barely stand, let alone run.

There was no one in the parking lot outside the vet’s office and Derek let out a sigh of relief, going to the glass door, intent on smashing it open, but Stiles protested.

“I got this,” he muttered. “I’ve been practicing, figured this would come in handy.” Before Derek could ask Stiles had rolled out of his arms, collapsing onto the ground. He tried to catch him and pull him back up but Stiles was already getting to his knees, moving sluggishly to pull something out of his pants pocket. It was a lock pick. “Got these from one of my dad’s deputies. Had them help me. They thought it was hilarious,” Stiles said, fitting the lock pick into the slot and beginning to work it open.

Derek looked around, glad no one was around this area of town. It was only a moment but it felt like it dragged before the door popped open. There was no alarm and Derek picked Stiles up, taking him inside and to the back.

Or he would have except when he tried to go towards the counter he found he couldn’t. It was like something was stopping him. Stiles dropped from his arms again.

“What’s going on?”

Derek shook his head, trying to walk up to the counter to open the swing door but he _couldn’t_. Stiles seemed to be having the same problem, struggling to his feet and stopping beside Derek.

“I don’t know.”

Stiles picked himself up and he tried to force his way to the counter. It wasn’t happening and Derek could smell blood from Stiles’ wound.

“Stiles, stop,” he ordered because he couldn’t have him starting to bleed again.

“No. I feel like I’m getting closer,” Stiles’ voice sounded strained, and he was starting to sweat even more. He wasn’t getting any closer.

Derek put a hand on Stiles shoulder, pulling him back to one of the waiting room chairs. “It’s fine. Scott should be here soon. He already texted me telling he found the bullet.”

Stiles groaned as he collapsed in the seat. Derek could see the blood stain on the side of his pants getting darker. He grit his teeth and turned back to the counter, trying to figure out what was stopping him from getting through.

“It’s mountain ash,” someone said from the door and Derek spun around, glaring at the shorter, bald black man standing at the door. The man moved his eyes over to Stiles and frowned. “You look a little worse for wear than normal, Mr. Stilinski.”

Stiles flashed the man a confused smile. “Part of my charm, Doc.”

Deaton walked into the lobby and over to the counter, opening the door and Derek could feel whatever was stopping him from advancing break. Deaton held the door open for them, beckoning them to come through to the back. Derek paused, not trusting him, but Stiles just stood up, stumbling over to go into the back.

Derek grabbed him by the shoulder. “Stiles. I don’t trust him.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, still a little brat even sick. “He’s a vet, and obviously he knows something about this stuff.”

“You know who knows about _this stuff_? Hunters.”

Stiles froze, tensing under Derek’s hand. “He’s.” He looked towards the back. “No. I never read about mountain ash being used in hunts. Hell, I don’t even know what mountain ash does.”

“Very few people do, Mr. Stilinski,” Deaton said, coming back out into the main lobby with gloves on and a bottle of peroxide. He looked at Derek, frowning. “I am just trying to help. He’s been shot with wolfsbane correct?” Derek refused to answer. Deaton sighed. “I assume you have someone getting another bullet for the cure? I am a very good doctor but even I can’t perform miracles.” He stepped through the door, ushering Stiles back into the seat he was sitting in. “This will probably look very strange to anyone passing by, but if you insist on being stubborn,” Deaton said calmly looking at Stiles. “I need you to pull your pants down so I can clean the wound. It will help your body heal quicker once the toxin is out. However, I would like it if we went in back.”

Stiles looked towards Derek, and grit his teeth, standing back up. “In back.”

Derek growled, not liking this, but he followed Stiles and Deaton into the back room, watching as Stiles sat up on the surgery table. Deaton made quick work of applying peroxide and by the time he was done Scott was bursting through the door, coming to a halt when he saw the three of them.

“The bullet, Scott?” Deaton asked, holding out his hand. Scott fumbled, staring at Stiles on the table and then Derek before he grabbed the bullet.

“Yeah, here.” He handed it over, going to Stiles’ side.

Derek watched Deaton, hands itching to do this part on his own. He didn’t trust someone else to have Stiles’ life in their hands. At the first sign of Deaton not doing what was needed Derek would attack, and do it himself.

Deaton opened the bullet, pouring out the wolfsbane. “A lighter?” He asked, turning to Derek, who haltingly gave him the one he had in his pocket. His eyes kept flicking to Stiles, laid out on the table, pants around his knees to give Deaton easy access to the bullet wound. “This will hurt, Mr. Stilinski, and I am very sorry I can’t do it another way.”

Stiles bit his lower lip, nodding as he looked at Scott. Derek could see they were holding hands, Scott’s knuckles white from his tight grip.

Deaton lit the wolfsbane on fire, and then immediately was sweeping it up and pressing it into the wound.

Stiles screamed and convulsed. Derek was beside his side instantly, cupping Stiles face while trying to hold him down. He couldn’t do anything about Stiles’ hips jolting but he pressed their foreheads together and willed Stiles to ride out the pain. Stiles hissed, trying to hold back tears and Derek shut his eyes. He never wanted to see him in this much pain again.

He smelled the poison burn out of Stiles body and he went still beneath Derek, breath coming out in soft pants.

“Oh god, let’s never do that again,” Stiles gasped, letting out a soft laugh as he reached up and ran his fingers through Derek’s hair. Derek relaxed completely, sinking forward and hugging Stiles, burying his face in his neck to take in the unpoisoned scent.

Scott didn’t leave Stiles’ side and when Derek finally pulled back Scott took his place, hugging Stiles tightly and begging him to never do that ever again.

Stiles returned the hug, sitting up so he could embrace Scott better. “It’s fine. I’m alright.”

Scott took a step back to look at Stiles before embracing him again. “You scared the shit out of me.”

Stiles laughed. “You? I scared the shit out of myself.”

Derek glanced over at Deaton who was cleaning up, putting away the bullet and the left over wolfsbane. He shifted from foot to foot, not sure what to say. Deaton looked at him.

“Don’t mention it, Derek.” Derek frowned as Deaton slipped out of the room, and he hesitated for only a moment before going after him. Scott could look after Stiles for the moment it would take to talk to Deaton.

“How’d you know we were here? There wasn’t any alarm.”

Deaton turned and gave him a patronizing smile. “Just because you can’t hear an alarm doesn’t mean there isn’t one.” He pointed to the walls. “If I know ways to keep werewolves out, wouldn’t you assume I have ways of keeping track of my own shop?” Derek shuffled his feet and Deaton sighed. “Go back to your friend, Derek. You guys need each other. And seriously, don’t mention this.” His face flipped from serious to friendly as he waved. “Tell Scott to lock up and that I’ll see him tomorrow.”

Derek watched him leave, still not sure what had just happened. He stopped thinking about it when Stiles came up behind him, Scott following behind him on his phone.

“He’s texting Allison. Apparently people were worried about me.” Stiles flashed a grin and Derek let out a sigh.

“I wonder why.”

He waited for a joke to come about how worried he had been but Stiles just smiled, nudging him in the stomach. “Come on, it’ll be a nice long walk home.”

***

“You didn’t have to make me dinner,” Stiles called from the couch, not even bothering to look in and see what Derek was doing. He could smell chicken soup and he grinned because he hadn’t had that in a while. “I’m all better now.”

“Stiles. Shut up,” Derek said.

“I’m just saying I would have been totally cool with you just grabbing me something from the diner. Maybe a burger and french fries.” Stiles would have said more but he was cut off by the doorbell ringing. He scrambled to his feet, grinning sheepishly as he opened the door for Danny. “Hey.”

Danny looked him up and down before he came inside. “You’re looking better than I expected.”

Stiles snorted, opening his arms for a hug. “Fever broke. You know how it goes.”

He hugged Danny tight, not wanting to let go once he had him. It felt good that Danny returned the hug, squeezing him just as much. “Glad you’re alright.” He pressed his face into Stiles’ shoulder and it caused him to shudder. “Scott was a wreck without you.”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, I bet.” He pulled away, taking Danny with him to the couch. “Do you need anything?” Danny shook his head, taking off his backpack.

“Lydia wrote down all your homework,” Danny said, pulling out the two page paper Lydia had written with instructions, as well as a few other notes.

“A woman after my own heart,” Stiles said grumpily, looking over the assignments. He could do most of these, and she seemed to have filled it mostly with comments about their classmates, and how boring it was without him making an idiot of himself. He was touched.

“Yeah, well,” Danny shrugged and then froze.

Stiles looked up, wondering what it was that caused him to freeze. Derek was coming into the room holding two bowls of soup and he placed them down on the table.

“Thanks, Derek,” Stiles said, grinning up at him. Derek shrugged, looking at Danny and then back to Stiles with a raised eyebrow. “Oh. Yeah, shit. Danny, this is Derek. You two kind of already met. Derek, my boyfriend Danny.”

Derek nodded to Danny, who smiled in return. It looked almost forced though, and Stiles couldn’t figure out why.

“I’m glad you took care of Stiles today.”

Derek snorted. “It was nothing. Eat your soup.”

“Are you leaving?” Stiles asked, looking up from where he had already begun to dig into his bowl.

Derek shrugged. “Danny’s with you now. He’ll keep you company until your dad gets home.”

Stiles grinned at Danny, putting down the bowl of soup to the side. “Think you can handle keeping an eye on me?”

Danny gave him a genuine smile at that, nodding as he relaxed back on the couch.

Stiles grabbed Derek by the waist and pulled him into a hug, burying his face in Derek’s stomach. He needed that contact just once more because it calmed him down. He didn’t think there would be long term emotional trauma from being shot, but in the short term there was, and he needed to make sure everyone he cared for was alright, and that he was still alright. He didn’t want to imagine how clingy he would be with his dad.

He felt Derek curl around him, bending down and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He grinned, nuzzling into Derek’s stomach.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“No problem,” Derek said, taking a step back and untangling himself from Stiles. “You would do the same for me.”

Stiles grimaced, leaning back to lay against Danny, who had started to tense up again. “I really hope I don’t have to. No offense.”

“Me too.” Derek looked at Danny and gave an awkward wave. “It was nice seeing you Danny. Have fun.” He walked away, grabbing his jacket and leaving the house before Danny could really respond.

Stiles looked at Danny, frowning when he saw how tense he still was. “What?”

Danny turned and looked at him, eyes flicking over his face as if he was looking for something. He must have found it before he smiled finally, and kissed Stiles gently. “I’m just glad you’re okay and you have good friends.”

Stiles blushed, leaning in for another kiss. “Yeah well, I’m sort of awesome so I deserve it, right?”

Danny laughed, pulling Stiles against him so they could curl up on the couch. “I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s something like that.”

Stiles relaxed, closing his eyes. He could hear Derek creeping in through his window, and if it were any other day he would have words about that kind of behavior, but right now he understood. Derek needed to make sure he was alive and well as much as he needed to check on all of his friends. He just needed to remember not to let Danny go upstairs. Explaining why Derek was asleep in his bed would be awkward.


	6. Episode 6: Yes I'm Siskel, Yes I'm Ebert (you're getting two thumbs down)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have hit the halfway mark at 66,000 words (fml I never wanted this fic to be that long >.>) That said this chapter is the shortest one I've written at 9400 words so this is a good thing!! Or at least I think it is!

Whoever said the first time was the most memorable had very obviously never had a second, or a third, and most definitely never a fourth time, because while Stiles had enjoyed his first fumblings with Danny, the times following just got better. They were more comfortable with each other every time, learned what one another liked, and Stiles had thought he had been self aware before, but having someone else touch him opened up so many different avenues.

When he touched his own hip while pulling down his pants nothing happened, but if it was Danny a shock went through his body causing his hips to arch and him to let out a moan that he used to be embarrassed about. The moans made Danny smirk cockily and it was the only reason Stiles had changed his mind about the sounds he made. Danny looked hot when he was smirking and if Stiles could get him to wear that all the time when they were alone together he would.

He knew he had plenty of time tonight to do that though, since his dad was working until eleven and Stiles had made it very clear to Derek that he needed tonight off. They’d had an unproductive full moon the night before which involved Derek driving them almost fifty miles away from town so they could run off their energy without drawing the attention of the hunters, and this wasn’t even counting the lack of alpha that they had seen.

Stiles deserved this break. He’d put his nose back to the grindstone and go on patrol later, but for now all he wanted was Danny. He wanted Danny laid out under him like he was right now, cheeks flushed and shoulders blooming with bite marks, because the full moon was still running through his veins and his wolf liked biting. Danny didn’t mind, and he even bit back sometimes.

Stiles was going to take his time, regardless of how much Danny begged, and he was begging, arching his hips as Stiles kissed down to his hipbone.

He glanced up, trying to judge Danny’s reaction as he teased. He could smell the anticipation coming off Danny in waves and Stiles grinned, taking it slow as he kissed Danny’s inner thigh. He’d been so nervous the first time he’d done this, and his heart was still pounding in his chest but Stiles had a better idea what he was doing now.

He licked the underside of Danny’s cock, one hand wrapping around the base, and Stiles closed his eyes as he let himself listen to the sound of Danny slowly losing it. He was curling his fingers into Stiles’ bed sheets, trying desperately not to give in and grab the back of Stiles’ head.

Stiles paused, letting out a laugh as he remembered Danny complaining about his short hair. _Nothing to grab on to_ , he had said.

“Don’t stop,” Danny panted, thrusting his hips up, his cock brushing against Stiles’ cheek, getting spit and pre-come on his skin.

Stiles grinned impishly, licking the head teasingly just to hear Danny let out a whine. He was close, Stiles could tell, and he loved it, holding him right on this edge. Stiles was getting good at sensing when Danny was about to come, and he knew if he wrapped his lips around the head that in a moment Danny would come hard, head thrown back.

“Please,” Danny pleaded and Stiles gave in, swallowing him down as Danny’s gasps filled the room.

Stiles was glad they didn’t have to be quiet.

He crawled up to Danny’s shoulder, wrapping him in a hug and settling down in the afterglow. He hadn’t come yet and his cock was tenting in his boxers, but he could wait the few minutes it took Danny to stop shaking. He ran his fingers down Danny’s arm, enjoying the way goosebumps appeared in the wake of each touch.

Danny pressed a sloppy kiss to his chest, lazily moving his hand down to Stiles’ cock, and Stiles groaned. A part of him wanted to say it was okay, that he could wait, but the other part wanted the contact. He listened to it, shifting so he could kiss Danny before he got too gone to do much else but pant helplessly.

Danny’s hand felt so good on his cock, fingers tight enough to create a hole for him to fuck and Stiles moaned, wrapping himself around Danny as he humped his way closer to orgasm. He didn’t care what he looked like because Danny was urging him on, and it felt good and –

_Let me hear you say this shit is bananas_

fuck was that—

_B-A-N-A-N-A-S_

It _was_.

They both had stopped; the only thing filling the room was the sound of Danny’s ringtone.

“Someone should get that,” Stiles said, burying his face in Danny’s shoulder. He was still hard but he couldn’t _do anything about it_ because the mood was ruined.

Danny patted his shoulder, reaching over him to grab his phone from where it had fallen on the floor. “I have no clue why he’s calling,” Danny said as his phone started to go off again. “He’s out with Lydia, and he _knows_ I’m with you-- Hey. Jackson! What’s up?”

Stiles closed his eyes, but he couldn’t block out Jackson’s voice, or the sirens coming from the other side of the phone.

“ _I got attacked_ is what happened,” Jackson practically yelled from the other end of the phone and Danny shot up.

“What?”

Stiles’ eyes opened in surprise as Jackson rambled off about how he had just been going into the video store to get a movie for Lydia and then he was being attacked by some animal.

“Jackson- Jackson. Calm down,” Danny said, reaching over Stiles for his pants. He shot him an apologetic look, mouthing an _I’m sorry_. “Are you okay? Is Lydia okay? She wasn’t in the store with you, was she?”

“No,” Stiles could hear Jackson take a deep breath. “No, she wasn’t. She was in the car, but she’s shaken up.”

“Hey, do you need me to stop by?” Danny asked, but Stiles could tell that Danny was going to go see Jackson either way.

Stiles reached over and grabbed his clothes, his erection gone after hearing about the attack. His mind was already whirling, trying to figure out what he could do. The alpha had attacked Jackson? For what purpose? Stiles froze. Had? Had Jackson been bitten? He turned to Danny, and he could only imagine the look of horror on his face at the prospect that Jackson had been bitten. Stiles was _not_ ready to deal with that.

“Was he bitten?” Stiles asked, unable to stop himself, and Danny looked at him oddly, grabbing his wallet from Stiles’ desk. He was still on the phone with Jackson, listening to him ramble on.

_What?_ Danny mouthed and Stiles made a few vague hand gestures that he personally thought meant lycanthropy, but to someone else probably looked like he was drowning.

“Jackson,” he hissed in frustration. “Was he bit?”

“What? No- not you, Jackson, I was talking to Stiles. He wants to know if you were bit.” Danny rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why, probably so he can laugh at you.”

Stiles let out a frustrated groan when Jackson just derailed the conversation, not answering the question. Stiles grabbed his own phone, skimming through the texts from Derek.

_tracking the alpha_

_no hunters out tonight_

_i lost him_

That text had been sent twenty minutes ago and Stiles sighed, following Danny out of his room. He sent a quick text back to Derek saying he knew where to pick up the alpha’s trail, but he didn’t mention Jackson. Maybe if he didn’t think about Jackson being bit it would just go away and have never happened.

Hey, maybe the bite would kill him! That was a good thought, but then Stiles looked over at Danny talking quietly on the phone to Jackson, trying to calm him down, no doubt, and Stiles took it back. He hated Jackson, but he couldn’t take Danny’s best friend from him.

 

There were cops and ambulances at the video store, and it was taped off. Stiles had originally thought that was a little much for an animal attack, but he quickly realized Jackson hadn’t been the only victim. Actually Jackson hadn’t been a victim at all. The owner of the store though, he was dead.

Stiles could only stare in horror at where he knew the dead body was, and he felt sick to his stomach. He could smell the alpha mixed in with the death, and if he hadn’t been sure before he knew now that it had been responsible. Danny ran over to where Jackson was sitting against a police car, Lydia in the backseat with a blanket around her shoulders, staring blankly at her hands. Stiles hung back, trying to catch his bearings. He couldn’t smell anything except death and alpha so he couldn’t even tell if it was safe to search out Derek, because he didn’t know if hunters were around.

They’d no doubt be attracted to the news of an attack, so if Derek showed up Stiles would have to plan how to run off with him to continue tracking the alpha. This attack was too public, and it would no doubt have repercussions.

“Stiles?” He jumped as a hand came down on his shoulder, but when he turned around it was just his father.

“Dad! Jesus you scared me.” Stiles ran a hand over his face, trying to get his senses back. He focused on his father, and then reached out for Danny, because they were comforting scents. He could smell Derek too, and he glanced over quickly, catching him creeping outside the yellow tape.

“What are you doing here?” Stiles flailed and pointed in the direction of Danny, Jackson and Lydia. His father’s face softened and he let go of Stiles with a sigh. “You’re a good friend.”

Stiles flushed as he shrugged. “Just checking in on them. Jackson called saying he’d been attacked.”

His dad snorted. “He was just shoved to the side while the mountain lion ran out of the store. That’s it. Besides a little bruising and cuts on his hands he’ll be fine.”

Stiles let out a rush of air, so relieved to hear that. “Are you sure? He wasn’t like, bitten or clawed at?”

“Not that we can see.” His dad sighed. “This is gonna be a long night, though.”

“But you said it was a mountain lion attack right?”

“Yeah, but that’ll be the hard part. Second animal attack in a few months? Tends to freak people out. I’m going to be doing damage control with the local papers and news channels all night.”

Stiles shuffled from foot to foot. The scent of the alpha was lessening and while that meant he could smell other things now, it also meant Derek and he were losing their lead. He glanced over at Derek, who looked agitated, head ducked and collar pulled up on his leather jacket. “I’m gonna go see if Danny needs a ride home, and then I’ll head home, okay dad?”

His father nodded, turning to one of his deputies and demanding that they clear people off. Stiles nodded at Derek slightly, raising a finger to tell him he’d be right there, before he ran over to Danny, Jackson and Lydia. Danny had an arm around Jackson and was holding Lydia’s hand, trying to coax her out of the car.

“Everything okay?” Danny asked, nodding towards Stiles’ dad.

“Yeah, yeah everything is cool.” Stiles looked Jackson up and down, sniffing discreetly to make sure that the bite hadn’t healed over already on Jackson’s body. He smelled like the alpha, but under that was the scent of pure human, and Stiles let out a sigh of relief. He really couldn’t handle having another beta running around.

“What are you looking at, Stilinski?” Jackson snapped and Stiles’ lips formed a tight frown.

“You couldn’t have mentioned that someone had _died_? That didn’t cross your mind at all?”

Jackson gave him a look. “What of it? The guy’s dead, he’s not coming back. I, however, was attacked.” He shrugged off Danny’s arm, stepping into Stiles’ personal space. Stiles’ wolf growled in a way that he hadn’t felt in a while. He had found balance, and was able to control himself almost all of the time, but with Jackson in his personal space, it was harder.

“I don't know, maybe I like knowing when I have to see a _dead body_ , Jackson,” Stiles snapped back, and he felt fangs in his mouth. He was so close to snarling at Jackson.

“Not everything’s about you!” Jackson said as he shoved Stiles.

Stiles stumbled, trying to center himself as he stared down Jackson. “Don’t shove me.”

Jackson pushed Stiles again, ignoring Danny’s protest. “Why? I won’t like you when you’re angry?”

Stiles arched his eyebrow in surprise at the reference and then looked down at his shirt, which was in fact the Hulk smashing. “So clever. You recognized a comic book character and made a joke about it. I’ll give you a--”

Jackson cut him off with another shove and Stiles fell to the ground in surprise. Something inside him snapped when he hit the concrete and he pushed himself back up, shoving Jackson before he could run away. He was ready to do more to Jackson when an arm wrapped around him.

“You’re causing a scene,” Derek whispered in his ear, and Stiles dropped against his chest, the anger still burning in his chest. “Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Your eyes just flashed and your claws are coming out.”

Stiles did as he was told, turning his head so he could focus on Derek’s scent. It helped center him, and remind him that he didn’t need to fight Jackson. He was stronger. He had a pack, and Jackson was alone.

“Fuck you, Stilinski,” Jackson growled and Stiles’ eyes opened to see Danny holding Jackson back, pushing him into the backseat of the car.

He sighed, shrugging off Derek’s arm. “We need to get going,” Derek reminded him, and Stiles nodded, feeling drained all of a sudden as his wolf retreated at seeing Jackson put in his place.

Danny looked frustrated, and he looked at Stiles, and then Derek. “You shouldn’t push his buttons.”

Stiles glanced over his shoulder at Jackson sitting in the backseat of the cop car with a petulant look on his face. “Maybe he should stop having so many buttons.”

“Or maybe you shouldn’t push them,” Danny repeated, giving him a look. “He’s a drama queen, but he was actually freaked out. Give him a break.”

Stiles sucked in a breath. “You’re right,” and as much as it took to say that, seeing a faint smile cross Danny’s face made it worth it. “Do you need a ride home?”

Danny shot a look at Derek, and then looked back at Jackson and Lydia. He opened his mouth, then shut it and just shook his head instead. “It’s fine.”

Stiles knew it would be polite to double check, and make sure Danny wasn’t just saying that but the trail was getting cold and he and Derek _needed_ to find the alpha soon. He kissed Danny quickly and turned to leave. “I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

Danny gave him a weak wave, and he might have muttered something but Stiles was too focused on trying to get back to his car and get Derek into it without anyone noticing to worry about it.

***

“Don’t even start,” Danny said when he opened the back door of the cop car and pushed Jackson into the middle, Lydia barely moving closer to the other side of the car.

“I am not getting bitch,” he protested weakly, but Danny just glared at him.

“Yes. You are. What the hell was that?” Danny dropped his voice, but it was still angry and Jackson couldn’t understand why he was so upset. So he had almost gotten into a fight with Stiles. It wasn’t like he was going to hurt him. It wasn’t like Stiles was more important to Danny than Jackson.

“He just pisses me off! What was all of that _Oh, woe is me_ bullshit? I was the one who was attacked!”

Danny’s glare softened. “Did you ever think he wanted to know because his dad is the sheriff and that kind of thing affects his life?”

Jackson opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the words. He hadn’t expected Danny to pick Stiles’ side. He had expected him to understand Jackson like he always did.

“Where did he go?” Jackson asked instead of admitting anything. He couldn’t let Danny see his confusion, his hurt.

Danny shrugged, looking out to the parking lot. “Back home. He gave Derek a ride.”

Jackson felt rage bubble up in his chest, but he tried not to explode. He didn’t think Danny would appreciate it. “Derek? What was he doing here?”

Danny shrugged again. “Dunno.” He looked over Jackson and sighed. “Move over, you idiot. And take off your jacket.” Jackson stared at him confused and Danny just pushed him closer to Lydia. “Give it to Lydia, she looks like she’s freezing. I would give her mine but you’re in my way.”

Jackson fumbled with his jacket, slipping it around Lydia’s shoulder. She was still shaking, and she had a blank, terrified look on her face. Jackson sighed, wrapping her up in his arms and leaning back against the car seat, Lydia’s head pressed against his chest. As he closed his eyes he felt Danny’s arm sneak behind his head, giving him a place to curl up too. Jackson tried to resist it for as long as he could, but he felt so drained.

He’d been powerless to stop the attack from happening. He hated that feeling, and now Lydia was in shock curled against him, and there was nothing he could do because he hadn’t been good enough.

It was an awful feeling, and Jackson really wanted to get rid of it.

***

“Police are officially reporting it as a mountain lion attack,” Kate confirmed as she sat down across from him at the kitchen counter.

Chris didn’t give her a second glance because he needed at least two more coffees before he was awake enough to handle this. He had been running through the woods all night after the damn alpha, and then Harvey, a new recruit, had said he’d spotted Hale sniffing out the crime scene. Chris didn’t know why Kate had people tagging Hale still. He wasn’t leading them to the alpha, and all signs pointed to him not knowing anything. They’d basically neutered him after killing the other beta, proof enough because there wasn’t a single sign of werewolves during the full moon.

“Of course they are. What else could it be?”

Kate grinned at him. “You’re so funny when you’re playing normal. Harvey lost Hale last night, but there weren’t any indications that he was with anyone.”

“We knew that already,” Chris said, keeping an ear out for Allison. It was early in the morning and she had been up late with _the boyfriend_ but she could still wander down, and he really didn’t want her to hear about this. “I don’t get your obsession with him. He’s a dead end.”

Kate pursed her lips. “I’m not so sure. How long’s he been here? Almost two months? Without his sister? I heard reports from New York that they both cleared out, and no one’s seen tooth or claw of the bitch since last year.”

“They’re keeping a low profile. Fine by me,” Chris said, reaching for the Sunday paper. He needed a distraction because Kate had her hunt face on, and it never lead anywhere good.

“But what if it’s more. What if his sister went rabid? I hear the fire was a nasty one.” Chris gave her a look and she returned it with an innocent smile. “I’m just saying. He’s obviously invested in this alpha. It just got me thinking. The other beta was his pack. What if his sister bit someone and got a little bloodthirsty, and now Hale has to play damage control.” She scrunched up her face in twisted delight. “And now she’s struck again. Must suck.”

“Our only interest is the alpha,” Chris reminded her. “Hale didn’t kill anyone.” Kate grinned and it unsettled him. “We leave him alone.”

She clucked her tongue. “Of course brother, whatever you say. You know best.”

He could hear what she wasn’t saying though. The snide comments about preventative measures, but Chris could never understand those. There was a code for a reason, and he stuck by it. It was ingrained into him, just like it had been drilled into Kate. He watched her take a sip of her own coffee and wondered.

***

_You need to get here asap_ was the text that Stiles had sent Derek at 3:30 in the afternoon after he had gotten back from Lydia’s. He’d only gone over there to check on her because Danny had thought it would calm him down since he’d pawned his nervous energy off on feeling worried about Lydia. And he was worried about her, but he had been more concerned about the alpha and the fact that they were never close to finding it. Stiles had resigned himself to the idea that the alpha would only let them see him if he wanted them to, and it was a shitty idea.

He hated being out of control, and going to see Lydia had been an act of getting back in control. Even drugged up she could still make witty comments, and she’d read him the riot act the moment had entered her room, talking about how he had no right to come bother her on a school day. It had been amusing, partly because it was midwinter break, and partly because halfway through her lecture she dropped off to sleep, but then he’d been an idiot and checked her phone and seen the stupid video.

Thirty-four frames of the alpha in HD, captured from Lydia’s phone. No wonder she was freaking out. Stiles was freaking out. He had only seen the alpha from a distance, but it hadn’t been enough to be hit with the full effect of terror that the alpha gave off.

And that was why Stiles needed to talk to Derek, because he’d been researching and the things he’d read about alphas pointed to _bad things_. Stiles was rereading a passage from one of the books he had temporarily misappropriated from Derek’s room when Derek finally came through his window.

“Thank god,” Stiles said, swinging around to face him.

“What’s the matter?” Derek asked, dropping onto Stiles’ bed.

“The alpha, and before you say anything, I am aware it has been our problem since the beginning, but hear me out.” Derek made a motion with his hand to have Stiles continue and Stiles sighed. “I went to see Lydia today, just to clear my head. She was at the video store you know, but outside.” Derek nodded, urging him to keep going. Stiles didn’t know how to say it so he just tossed Derek his phone, already opened to the video. “She caught this on her phone. I deleted it! But still,” he frowned. “I thought you’d find it interesting.”

Derek gave him a look as he watched the short video, looping it a few times. “It’s the alpha.”

“Yes. Except did you notice anything?”

Derek frowned. “Stiles, it’s the alpha. I know what the alpha looks like.”

Stiles let out a huge sigh. “How is it that I know more about this stuff than you do, and you’ve got like twenty years on me in the werewolf department.” He snatched the phone back and paused on a frame of the alpha snarling, eyes blood red. “I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on, and everything I’ve read about alphas say that their shifted form reflects their state of mind. Most alphas just shift into full wolves, because they are balanced, in control, because alphas generally have to be.

“But that doesn’t have to be the case. Some alphas can go mad, drunk on power or something. And it shows in their forms. The older myths? The ones where the image of the Big Bad Wolf comes from? Monstrous creatures? Those were alphas too, ones who weren’t in control. They were the ones who got noticed.”

Derek was looking at him oddly, a mix of surprise and apprehension. “And? We have an out-of-control alpha on our hands. We knew that already.”

Stiles huffed. “No. You are severely underestimating the level of crazy, Derek. Like this amount of deranged requires severe trauma.” He spun around and pulled out a book someone in Derek’s family had taken the time to translate from Italian to English. “Packs rebel against this type of alpha, which explains how you and I can get away being alpha-less and not go slowly crazy from being omegas. Because we aren’t alone, it’s you and me as a pack and we are fighting against our alpha. Our instinct to submit is being overridden by the urge to buck against this kind of alpha, because they aren’t good for our pack.”

“So you’re basically saying that we can kill the alpha.”

“I’m saying we _need_ to kill it,” Stiles said fiercely. “It’s been playing with us, because even if it’s crazy out of control, it’s in enough control to not let us find it. But we need to bring it to us, and fast.”

Derek sucked in a breath, and he looked uneasy. “Stiles, you know it won’t be that easy.”

“Yeah, it would be much easier if it were a vampire, because stake through the heart and all, but I’ll take what I can get.” Stiles blew out a breath. “And we need to kill it. We can’t let a hunter do it.”

“I know.”

Stiles shot him a look. “You know?”

Derek shrugged. “If we don’t, we’ll be alpha-less.”

Stiles nodded. “But if you do it you’ll be the alpha. Problem solved.”

“No. Problem not solved, Stiles.” Derek ran a hand through his hair, dropping the book.

“Well I sure can’t be alpha.”

“I’m not saying that. I’m saying this will take planning. This is an insane amount of power we are talking about, and we can’t just dive right into it.”

“That’s why I’m bringing it up now,” Stiles argued. “There’s no other option.”

“I know. But things will happen if I become an alpha.”

“So I read,” Stiles said, nodding to the pile of books on his desk.

“This is crazy,” Derek muttered.

“Did you really think there would be another way?”

Derek was quiet for a long while before he answered. “No.”

***

Allison spent most of midwinter break wondering when the inevitable implosion was going to happen in her life, and whether the catalyst would be from her Aunt Kate or Scott. Avoidance had been the route the two of them had taken with the entire “Scott stole a bullet that had some kind of plant inside it from Kate because Stiles needed it to live” situation, and it was working. Scott could look her parents in the eye even, which was more than she had been expecting from him.

She, on the other hand, couldn’t. Maybe it was because she had no idea what was going on and it made her imagine the worst possible things. She could only begin to think about what kind of world Kate was mixed up in, and how it involved Stiles, Scott, and obviously Derek. Did it expand further? Did her parents know?

She didn’t even know where to start with research. She had these clues: the bullet, the plant, but no way to use them. She couldn’t identify the plant since it was ground up, and barely had any odor. She’d need something like that mass-whatever that was on all of those CSI shows to even begin, and she definitely didn’t have those.

It made her feel closed off, especially when Scott would come over every day acting like nothing was wrong. She played along, but it didn’t stop her from giving Stiles an extra long look every time they were together, just to see if he would slip up.

Whatever trouble he was getting into it would most likely pick up over break, while he had free time, which is why Allison was going to be extra vigilant when they were all hanging out later that day. She didn’t know what the group of them were going to be doing but she knew it was a chance to see Stiles, and see if anything was going on.

Allison was half-heartedly googling police interrogation tactics to make herself feel like she was being somewhat productive when she got a text from Lydia.

_Jackson is picking you up in twenty minutes! Be ready with a smile!!!_

Allison shook her head. Looked like Lydia had recovered from the animal attack, and Allison was happy for her. Scott had said she wasn’t doing so well, and Danny had backed that up when she texted him the night before to smooth out plans for today. She pushed back from her desk to go change out of her pajamas when something caught the corner of her eye. Her heart was pounding as she snapped her to head to the side only to see Kate leaning against her door, smiling faintly.

Allison let out a huge sigh of relief. “You scared me.”

Kate grinned and knocked softly on her door. “Sorry, you looked pretty focused.” She inclined her head towards Allison’s computer where three different windows were opened describing interrogation tactics, and one about popular plant based drugs.

Allison shut her computer. “Yeah. Just doing a little studying.”

“You’re so dedicated. It’s adorable,” Kate said, coming into her room and taking a seat on her bed. “You do know you’re on break, right?”

Allison nodded, looking her aunt up and down. It was strange. She used to think Kate was someone she understood, but now it felt like she didn’t know her. She didn’t think she knew anyone. “Yeah. Just a little extra research.” She waved her hand dismissively, mind racing to try and think of how to be casual.

_Be vague, too specific and it’s obvious it’s a lie,_ the one website had said, or wait, was it the other way around? It was all getting muddled up in her head. Allison could understand now how Scott probably felt.

Kate didn’t give her a chance to test out which one it was though, because she just continued, pulling something out her pocket. “Well. I know it’s _early_ , but I figure the day of you’ll be busy with all your new friends. And who knows, I might not even be here.” Allison blinked, mind still whirling from before that she couldn’t think what Kate was talking about. Kate held out the box with one hand, smiling at her. “Happy early birthday.”

Allison stared at the box, and then slowly reached for the box. “Thank you,” she said even before she opened it, still stuck on Kate’s words. “What do you mean you might not be here?”

Kate shrugged, head tilting to the side. “You know how work is. I might be finished here earlier than I expected, and then I’ll just be moving on.” She nodded towards Allison. “Open it.”

Allison looked down at the box, lifting the top off to reveal a silver pendant, with an engraving on it. It was in a crude circle, obviously handmade, with what looked like some kind of animal in the middle, and what could be a sun, or a starburst on the side. “Wow,” Allison breathed out, picking it up.

“It’s our family crest.”

“We have a crest?” Allison asked, turning the pendant around.

Kate was giving her a nostalgic, faint smile. “Yes, we do. You should look it up if you want to know more about us.”

Allison looked from Kate to the pendant, and then slowly put it on, feeling the heavy weight of the necklace around her neck. “Thank you.”

Kate’s smile changed to a wide grin, and she stood up and wrapped Allison in a hug. She tensed, and then forced herself to relax. This was just her aunt, not someone else who did whatever Allison thought she was capable of. “Now you have a good time with your friends okay?” She kissed Allison’s forehead. “Who all are you hanging out with again? That cute boyfriend of yours’, Scott? Your pretty girl friend Lydia?”

Allison nodded, fingers running over the pendant. “Yeah, and Jackson, Danny and Stiles.” She said Stiles last just to see if the name did anything for Kate, because she _needed to know._

Kate just grinned at her. “Have a blast, alright? You’re young and no matter what my stupid brother says, you deserve to have a good time.”

Allison nodded again as her phone went off, a text from Jackson saying he was outside and if she wasn’t in his car in thirty seconds he was leaving her. Allison looked at her pajamas and sent back a _:-P_ before heading to her closet to change. She wasn’t feeling any better about this whole situation and she wasn’t sure she would unless she got details soon.

***

Derek smelled them well before they knocked on his door, but he didn’t try to leave from where he was sorting through one of the many boxes he still hadn’t bothered to unpack. He hadn’t thought he would ever need them, but after Stiles’ insistence that they get moving on the whole _Kill The Alpha_ plan sooner rather than later, it was best if he started looking through some of the things he had ignored before, just in case they had any answers.

He ignored the first knock on his door, and the second. He even ignored it when it became obvious that someone was using their boot instead of their fist to try and get his attention. If they wanted to knock down his door they could deal with his angry landlord, and drawing attention from his neighbors.

That’s what he told himself at least, but his shaking hands told the truth. He was scared, and about two seconds from bolting for his bedroom window and climbing out that way. He refused to give in to that instinct though. He was not going to back down.

He moved on to the next box that had a suitcase he had found in the rubble of the stairs after Scott had fallen through them that first night. He hadn’t given it a second thought, just grabbed it as he was combing through the house, but now was as a good a time as any to open it.

His front door opened with a click and Kate Argent stood there holding a lock pick with a wide grin, two men behind her.

“And that, boys, is how you break into a werewolf’s lair.”

One of the guys snickered, and Derek could see the tasers on all three of their hips. They were at least smart enough to know not to carry any guns in public.

“Get out,” he said, hoping his voice wasn’t shaking as much as he was afraid it was.

“Shut the door,” Kate ordered, stepping into his apartment and Derek froze. He had trapped himself behind the counter, and he couldn’t get out without some sort of fight. A fight would draw attention to them, and Kate’s grin told him she knew that. She clucked her tongue, walking to the other side of the bar counter that divided his kitchen from his living room, fingers trailing over the boxes.

The two men she had brought were already going through the things he had laid out in his living room, not caring that they were knocking things over. Derek was glad he had been unable to unpack his family pictures, because he didn’t want them to see those.

“Now what do we have here?” Kate asked, tapping her finger on her lips.

“Get out,” he repeated.

She tilted her head to the side, baring her neck to him like she thought it would affect him. “I don’t think so.”

He wasn’t sure if he had moved or not, but suddenly he was on his back, the ends of the taser hitting into his chest. He gasped, not expecting the jolt of electricity to go through him. He distantly heard one of the men she had brought with her laughing.

“Now. We can do this easy,” Kate said, and then another jolt went through his body. “Or we can do this hard.”

Derek wasn’t given a chance to answer before a third jolt shot through him, causing his body to arch him involuntarily, and this time Kate laughed.

“Wow, this is a lot more fun than I was picturing.” She turned to the two men. “You two finding anything?”

“No ma’am,” one of them answered and Kate hummed.

“Go check in the bedroom. Maybe he’ll have something there.” She turned back to him, finger moving away from the trigger. Derek could barely see her when he opened his eyes because of the white dots in front of his eyes. “Now. What did I want?” She tapped her finger over her mouth. “Oh, that’s right. Unger and Reddick.”

“What?” Derek gasped, because she accompanied that sentence with a shock of electricity.

“That’s the third murder in a week Derek. That’s sloppy, don’t you think?”

“What?”

Kate didn’t seem to be paying attention to him. “I mean, at least this time you let your alpha get to them in the woods where an animal attack makes more sense, but really? You couldn’t wait a little while longer?”

“What?” Derek asked for a third time, but she didn’t respond. Instead Kate came around the counter, dropping down so she was crouching beside him. He felt her pull the pins of the taser out of his chest, but he still couldn’t move, his limbs numb.

“Have I broken you?” She stroked his forehead and he shivered, trying to get away from her touch. Her eyes were roving over his body and she grinned. “You grew up well, I have to admit. Even if you did get stupid. Oh well, what can you expect with your kind?” She asked before she stood back up. Derek gasped as she delivered a kick to his ribs. There wasn’t enough force to break anything, and it hurt his dignity more than anything. “Tell your alpha I’m going to kill it, and when I’m done with him I’m going after you, okay?” She gave him another kick, and then flashed him a smile that was all teeth before barking to the two men to follow her out of the apartment.

They didn’t even bother to close the door, just left it wide open with Derek on the kitchen floor. He couldn’t move yet, and it was a terrifying feeling. Their scents were everywhere in his apartment, and it made him nauseous. He felt torn up. They had come into his home with no regard for his cares. It was worse than when Chris had shown up. At least then the scent had never entered his place, his bedroom.

He rolled over coughing. He wasn’t safe here, and one look at his living room, never clean to begin with now that Stiles didn’t stop by, made him need to leave. The boxes were overturned and the few books he still had left were thrown all over the room, left open. He could see one had been stepped on and ripped in two.

Derek needed to leave.

He stood up shakily and grabbed his phone from the counter. Thank god Kate hadn’t thought to look in there. He had texts from Stiles and Scott saved there, with their names. Incriminating texts that would blow their covers.

Derek ran a hand over his face. He needed Stiles, but he couldn’t leave his apartment just yet. There were things he couldn’t risk leaving alone, and so he quickly packed those few boxes (the pictures of his family, the books Stiles hadn’t stolen, and the box of stuff he had salvaged from his house) and transferred them to his car. He kept one eye out for the hunters, but they seemed pleased with the damage they had already caused so they weren’t lingering around.

He still made sure to take the scenic route to Stiles’ house and to park half a mile away, walking the rest of the way so no one could link them together. He didn’t need this coming back to Stiles. He’d already gotten Stiles shot, and Derek didn’t like thinking about it, but it was true. He’d been the one to not look out for Stiles, and if anything else happened to him, if Kate knew he was also a werewolf—

Derek didn’t like that train of thought so he shut it down.

 

Stiles was home alone when Derek showed up, mindlessly tapping away at some videogame on his computer that had a lot of flashing arrows that may or may not have been fitting to the beat of whatever techno song was coming out of his speakers. Before Derek even opened his mouth to speak Stiles had turned his head, nostrils flaring as he abandoned his computer.

“What happened?” Derek looked down at himself, wondering what had given it away. “You stink of hunters and burning flesh,” Stiles said harshly, hands reaching for Derek to pull him into the room. As he helped Derek get his shirt off so he could see if the burns had healed he snapped, “tell me everything.”

It was like it finally hit Derek what had happened, the shock making his body go numb, and he dropped his head. “I don’t- they stopped by and completely ransacked…” he trailed off, remembering what his apartment had looked like.

“Who’s ‘they’ Derek? Allison’s dad? One of his muscles?”

“No. Kate. Allison’s-“ he cut off his words as Stiles climbed into his lap, pushing him further back on his bed. Stiles cupped his chin, forcing him to look at him, and when Derek finally did he saw Stiles’ bright golden eyes. “No. Don’t,” he said quickly, stopping Stiles before he could even get the words out. “You aren’t going to look for them. This isn’t how this works.”

Stiles growled low in his throat, wrapping his arms around Derek’s shoulders and burying his face in his chest. “You smell awful.” He pressed himself closer and Derek returned the hug, needing Stiles against him. It reminded him that he had a pack, that he had someone to look out for him and he needed that. Stiles was babbling into his neck, talking about how he smelled like fear and how it wasn’t right, and that Derek was safe with him.

Derek shut his eyes and squeezed Stiles closer. He was right, Derek was safe with him. It’s why he had to come here.

“I can’t go back,” Derek said numbly, and Stiles nodded against his shoulder.

“Of course you can’t. Those fucks just broke into your house! God, a part of me wants to say that I’ll get my dad on them, but that won’t help, will it?”

Derek shook his head, pushing Stiles away from just enough so he could see his face. “It’s alright. It was stupid to think I’d be safe there anyway.”

“Did they take anything?”

“No,” Derek said. “They just... wanted to show their dominance.” He snorted, because Kate had already proven she was the bigger bitch six years ago. “They ransacked the place, but they weren’t interested in anything.” He licked his lips. “I packed up the important things and put them in my car.”

“I’ll hold onto them,” Stiles said immediately, his fingers tracing Derek’s face and then going up to run through his hair. “Okay?”

Derek nodded, leaning into the touch. “I just- thank you.”

“No problem. I understand that you don’t feel safe in your den.”

“Don’t call it that,” Derek muttered, dropping his head forward so he could bury himself in Stiles’ chest.

“What? A den?” Stiles shrugged, shifting a little in his lap. “Why? Hell, I call _my_ room my den. Not out loud!” He clarified quickly, “But like, it’s just, how it is. It’s my den. Your apartment was your den. It’s how it goes.”

Derek felt like he had been shocked again. “You’ve really just embraced this. Haven’t you?”

Stiles pulled away to look down at him. “Huh?” His finger absently traced down Derek’s cheek again. “What?”

“This,” Derek didn’t know how to describe it. “Us. What we are. The wolf. You’ve just. It’s you.”

“Uh, yes?” Sitles gave him an odd look. “What do you want me to say? There’s no cure, it’s not like I’m going to stop being one, and like I’ve _said_ even if there was I wouldn’t give this up.” He pulled Derek back into a hug as he shifted them around again so they were laying curled up on the bed together. “So there’s danger, it comes with the territory. But it’s our territory and we don’t go down without a fight, right?”

Derek nodded dumbly, not sure what else to say. He couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t expected a bitten werewolf to take to the bite so much, to be so accepting. When he’d seen that someone else had been bitten he hadn’t thought he would get an ally out of it, much less a pack mate.

“Now. You really need to shower, because no matter how much we cuddle that scent of hunter is not going away, and I don’t want it on my bed,” Stiles said, disentangling himself from how he was wrapped around Derek. “While you do that I’m going to try to save my DDR score,” he glanced at his computer which was flashing angrily at him, “even though that looks pointless.” He sighed. “And then we are grabbing your stuff and moving it in here, okay? And you’re staying here. I don’t want you going back to your place for a long period of time, alright?”

“Stiles,” Derek started only to get cut off by him.

“Don’t start. I can’t even begin to think about what I would do if something happened to you. So you are staying where I can keep an eye on you, okay?”

Derek couldn’t stop the faint smile. “I was just going to ask for a towel.”

Stiles blew out a breath. “Sure. I’ll go get you a towel.”

He stood up to do just that, and Derek stared at the ceiling, unsure how he felt. He knew exactly how he felt, actually. He felt safe, and all he’d had to do was be with Stiles. He didn’t want to think too hard on what that meant, but he knew, and he shut his eyes in frustration. He could smell Stiles and Stiles’ boyfriend mixed in the room, and that was the only thing he was going to focus on, because any other thoughts were dangerous, and could risk him losing the good that he had.

***

In retrospect Stiles should have foreseen the problems that would come along with having Derek stay with him, but he hadn’t been thinking straight at the time, and he fully admitted that to himself. The biggest problem of course was explaining to his dad why he was suddenly using the third bedroom they had to store boxes of things that he had never had before. And then there were the logistics of Derek actually staying in the house without his dad finding out, because his dad worked long shifts, even longer with the animal attacks going around, but then his dad had long breaks where he was home.

Stiles was pretty sure if Derek didn’t have super hearing and super scent it would be impossible to pull this off. As it was, there were a few close calls, and Stiles’ dad had asked a few times over breakfast if he was sneaking Danny into his room at night, but nothing too bad.

Scott was the only one who knew that Derek was staying with him, and his eyes had gotten wide when he heard what had caused Derek to need a place to crash. Stiles didn’t blame his shock, since he was the one who had to go have weekly dinners with Allison’s family. Stiles wasn’t sure how he did it, and he purposefully avoided Allison’s house at all costs, because he hadn’t met her aunt yet, and he really wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

The things Stiles hadn’t accounted for though were the small ones, like Derek and his clothes getting mixed up, which he hadn’t thought was possible because of the color difference, but when he was fumbling around in the morning while Derek was still asleep, blue and grey looked kinda similar, and it was nippy so he had just been happy to find a long sleeve thermal.

This would have been fine, except for the fact that even though he had some of the least perceptive friends, he also had two of the most perceptive people for friends too.

“Is that a new shirt, Stiles?” Lydia asked over lunch.

He looked down at his shirt for the first time, frowning. “Huh. Guess I grabbed the wrong one this morning.” He blinked when everyone just stared at him, and he shoveled another spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth. “What?”

“Whose shirt did you take instead?” Lydia asked, smiling way too brightly to be anything but fake. Stiles could smell a low-grade anger coming from someone, but he couldn’t pinpoint it.

He shrugged, choosing his words carefully. “My dad’s. Guess it got mixed up in the wash.”

He felt the tension at the table drop and he frowned, not understanding why that had happened. He looked around the table, trying to see what was off. Even Danny looked upset and Stiles couldn’t understand why. Stiles followed him to history, holding his hand while Lydia and he talked, and he never seemed to cheer up. Sure he was _happy_ but his scent was off, like he was unsure.

Stiles nudged him finally during math class, working up the nerve to ask him what the problem was.

Danny just looked at him blankly, and then smiled one of Lydia’s fake smiles. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Stiles frowned. “Are you sure? We can talk after school.”

Danny shook his head, but he said, “Okay. We can go to your place, alright?”

Stiles bit his lip, thinking about the fact that Derek was probably still there. “Sure.” He pulled out his phone to send a text to Derek asking him if he was home, but as he did he felt Danny’s scent shift. He looked up at him and saw he was looking at Stiles’ phone with a sad expression. “What?”

Danny’s eyes flicked back to him and he just shook his head. “Nothing.”

Stiles looked back at his phone, and sent the text message to Derek.

 

Danny didn’t get better on the car ride to Stiles’ house, he just got more and more withdrawn into himself. Stiles couldn’t imagine what was going through Danny’s head. He thought they were having a good time, and everything was okay. Everything had been okay last week during Danny’s birthday. They’d had a good time together, cuddling and watching more bad movies, and then they had gone and actually seen a movie in theatres, which had been novel. Stiles had almost gotten them kicked out of the theatre when he started to yell at the screen during the climax of the movie. They’d had a good time though! Stiles hadn’t even run off. He couldn’t understand what had changed. He reached over to hold Danny’s hand as he continued to drive. Danny’s hand was lax in his, and no matter how much Stiles tried to squeeze his hand to get a reaction, he didn’t respond.

Derek was long gone by the time he got home, but the room still smelled like a mix of the two of them. Stiles took a deep breath, and turned to Danny.

“What’s the matter?”

He watched Danny stand there, backpack still on his shoulder as he looked around. His eyes fell on the stack of books that Derek and he had been going through, and then moved on to the pile of clothes that Derek had moved into his room. Danny was ridiculously closed off and Stiles reached for him.

“No.” he said, closing his eyes. “Let me say this.” Stiles dropped his hand, his stomach knotting up. “What are you hiding from me?”

Stiles stared at him. “What? Nothing!”

Danny’s eyes got hard, and he gripped his backpack strap. “Don’t lie to me, Stiles. Those stories about my exes aren’t just for laughs, I did actually learn things from them. I learned how to spot liars, and people who aren’t good for me and,” his voice cut off and he had to take a moment to recompose himself. “I didn’t want to think this, but Stiles you don’t seem like you’re very good for me.”

Stiles was left speechless. He hadn’t seen this coming. He wasn’t prepared for this. “What?”

“And it’s not, like what Lydia said, because I think you’re cheating on me or something—“

“I’m not!” Stiles latched onto the one thing he could. “I would never do that.”

Danny shook his head. “But what you’re doing is _worse_ Stiles. There is an entire part of you that I don’t know, that you aren’t sharing with me.” He dropped his head. “And, okay, you share it with Derek and that hurts.”

“What does Derek have to do with this?”

“You’re wearing his shirt, Stiles! I know you said it was your dad’s but I just,” Danny pointed to the shirt, and the way it hung off of Stiles loosely. “It’s too big to fit him, and I’ve only seen Derek twice but I _know_ how broad his shoulders are.”

Stiles swallowed, caught in his lie. He looked down at his shirt. “I didn’t want to hurt you, and I thought—“

Danny sighed. “A little late for that one, Stiles.”

“I’m not, I’m not cheating on you. I would never- and with Derek? Danny, you should know me better than that!”

“This isn’t about Derek!” Danny raised his voice. “This is about you keeping things from me. This is about trust and me not knowing what is going on with you.”

“So if I just tell you will you calm down?”

“Maybe? It depends on what it is!”

Stiles ran his fingers through his hair. He needed to get it cut soon. “What if I just can’t tell you?”

Danny’s face shattered. “Don’t say that.” His voice had dropped to a whisper. “Stiles, please. I want this to work. Just give me something.”

“I can’t,” Stiles said. “I can only promise you that what I’m not telling you will not affect us ever, okay?” He took a step closer to Danny, reaching out for him when Danny didn’t move back. “Okay?” He grabbed Danny’s hand in his and squeezed. “I _really_ like you, Danny.”

“I like you, too,” Danny whispered, squeezing Stiles’ hand. “I just don’t want to get hurt.”

“I would never hurt you. _Ever_.” Stiles said it fiercely as Danny let him step into his personal space. “I promise.” He stroked Danny’s face, trying to get him to look at him, but Danny kept staring at the ground.

“I’m not sure I can believe you.”

“Try?” Stiles pleaded. Danny swallowed, and Stiles wasn’t sure if he was tricking himself but he swore he felt Danny’s resolve wavering. He hugged Danny, and felt the knot in his stomach relax when Danny melted into him. “Please?”

“Please don’t break my heart, alright?”

“Never.” Stiles kissed his forehead, before hugging him tighter. He wasn’t sure if he believed himself or not.


	7. Episode 7: I want you smothered (want you covered)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So random fact but Beth (evanelric) is now living with me which means writing this is infinitely more fun because now we are in the same room instead of in the same chat box coming up with ideas. Which means that when I got stuck midway through this chapter Sunday night I could turn to her and go AHJKFSHGJKADHFGJKA BUT THINGS and she could respond BUT WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED? And thus we changed everything. Whoops >.> but it's better! MUCH BETTER! Enjoy the chapter~

This was definitely the worst idea they had ever had, but then again it wasn’t like they had any other options. They had tried the passive routine for too long, chasing after the alpha every night they caught a scent of him. They needed to grab the alpha’s attention in a way it wouldn’t be able to ignore. When Scott had suggested howling to get the alpha’s attention, Derek was pretty sure that he hadn’t been serious. It had been a throw away comment, made in between Scott pining over Allison and whining about how he couldn’t believe Stiles was letting Derek hide out in his room, but it had gotten Stiles excited, immediately going into planning mode.

Derek hadn’t paid attention to most of the plan, so maybe that’s why he had gotten a little fuzzy on the details. Details like why he was watching Stiles pick the lock to a side door of the high school on a Friday night.

“Just give me one more second, these are a bit harder than the locks at the station.”

Derek looked around the dark parking lot, scanning the empty area, worried that someone would show up soon. “Just hurry up.”

“Hold your horses.” Stiles glanced up at him before finally popping the lock free. “Everyone in the town is at the game. It’s the first game of the season, and even though it’s away people _still_ need to go watch our team lose. And once it’s over everyone will be celebrating.”

“I still have a bad feeling about this,” Derek muttered as Stiles pulled the door open.

Stiles tilted his head to the side. “You hear an alarm?”

“No.” Derek grabbed Stiles’ hand and pulled him into the school.

Stiles stumbled after him, grumbling. “Dude, I’m just making sure that the cops don’t show up. Caught breaking and entering together isn’t exactly going to make the hunters not wonder what we’re doing.”

“They think you’re dead,” Derek said, heading to the main office.

“Yeah, and so they will wonder how another beta is living.” Stiles lengthened his stride so he was beside Derek, twisting his hand so it rested more comfortably in Derek’s. “And then they will wonder how I got turned, and they will point fingers at you.” Derek felt Stiles’ hand squeeze his as they reached the office.

Derek scoffed. “They know I can’t turn you.”

“Not sure if it would matter to them,” Stiles muttered. He pulled away from Derek to open the door to the office, heading to the intercom.

Derek’s hand felt cold without Stiles but he pushed that feeling aside. He needed to focus on the alpha, and what came after that. There would be plans, things he would need to do once they killed the alpha. He’d need to find some way to deal with the hunters. He couldn’t focus on anything else.

Stiles was looking at him, frowning as he fiddled with the intercom. “Should I do this? Or do you think you doing it would work?”

Derek frowned, coming up to the other side of the counter that the intercom was on. “It turned you. So you are pack.”

Stiles nodded absently, swallowing as he pressed the speak button, and then let it go. “Okay. So I just, what? Howl?”

Derek gave a sharp nod, reaching over to stop Stiles from nervously tapping. “I’m right here.”

“I just. Sometimes I get worried what will happen when I get face to face with the alpha.” He sighed. “Just with everything I’ve read, about how it feels to be in the presence of one. What if I lose myself?”

“You won’t. I’ll be right here. Just remember your anchors, and remember who’s really in your pack.”

Stiles clasped their hands together as he broke eye contact. “Okay. I have this.”

Derek didn’t say anything, just kept holding Stiles’ hand as he took a few deep breaths. Derek could feel him tensing up, body getting ready, before he let out the start of a deep howl.

It only lasted a few moments before it tapered off into laughter, Stiles letting go of the speak button as he pressed his forehead against the counter. Derek stared at him slack-jaw, not sure what had just happened. It had sounded good for a moment, but now Stiles was laughing so hard that he was beginning to hiccup.

“What the hell?” Derek asked and Stiles just continued to laugh, holding up his other hand to tell Derek to give him a moment. He sighed. “No, it’s fine. Take your time. Not like we are on a timeline here or anything.”

Stiles calmed down to the point where he was only gasping for air now, and when he looked up his eyes were bright. “Sorry about that. Just. _I can’t believe we are doing this_.” He took a deep breath, and then let it out in a laugh. “I’m sorry. You really should have trained me to howl or something.”

“It’s something that should come naturally. You shouldn’t need to train.”

Stiles gave him a look. “We are training our new betas in howling, because this is weird okay?”

Derek was sure that Stiles continued to talk, but he didn’t hear what he was saying. He was too focused on the words that Stiles had thrown out so casually. The idea that Stiles was thinking about growing a pack together, sticking around so they could grow and establish themselves like that-- it did things to Derek’s stomach, twisting it up in knots, and making him weak in the knees. He never thought he would have a pack again, that it would be just Laura and him until the end, and then he’d lost her.

But now he had Stiles, and Stiles was making plans, thinking about the future and what they would become. Stiles was bitten, but he was a werewolf, and Derek had already known this but Stiles still managed to surprise him with his dedication to their lifestyle.

“Okay,” Stiles cleared his throat. “Let’s do this. This is serious business.”

Derek nodded, watching Stiles take a deep breath, press the speak button, and let out a deep howl. It lasted only about twenty seconds, but it shot right now Derek’s spine: a beta calling for his pack. Derek was here though, and he was pack. His wolf didn’t think Stiles needed anyone else.

They waited a beat, still holding hands and Stiles looked at Derek. “Do you think it worked?”

Derek looked around, as if the alpha would magically appear. “I don’t know.” He drew in a shaky breath. “But I think even if he doesn’t come, you’ve just alerted every wolf in the state that you’re here.”

Stiles snorted. “I’m sure it wasn’t that loud.” Derek shot him a glare and Stiles ducked his head. “Okay, maybe a little loud, but it was awesome right?”

“Sure,” Derek said. “Let’s get out of here. Before humans come and check on where that howl came from.”

“Like they could figure that out,” Stiles retorted, pulling Derek out of the office and down the hallway.

There was a part of Derek that wanted to open a conversation about their future. To talk about pack building, and how it would all go once this was over, but he couldn’t. Not with the alpha still out there. There were still so many problems that could come up. He couldn’t risk becoming complacent.

Stiles was just about to kick the side door open so they could wait outside for the alpha to show up when Derek heard it; a deep growl. He pulled Stiles back, putting himself between Stiles and the door.

“The alpha,” Stiles said unnecessarily, but Derek nodded anyway. He heard Stiles swallow, but he kept his attention on the door. He could hear the alpha stalking right outside the door, and he was just waiting for the moment where the alpha leapt forward, and they would need to either run or fight it. “We should have really thought this through,” Stiles whispered behind Derek.

He was scared, and Derek didn’t blame him. He could smell the rage from the alpha and it made him sick to his stomach. He couldn’t only imagine what it was like for Stiles, whose wolf might be fighting the human side. Derek found Stiles’ hand, grabbing it.

“Stand your ground,” Derek whispered. “It’s just like playing in the woods.”

Stiles stepped closer to him. “Pretty sure you never wanted to truly rip out my throat before.”

“Neither does the alpha.” Derek’s mouth was dry with fear, and he tried to swallow to get moisture back in it. “I think.”

“I hope,” Stiles whispered back. The alpha let out a howl and Stiles squeezed Derek’s hand. “Run?”

Derek shook his head.

The alpha crashed against the door, rattling it loudly but it stayed closed. Derek felt Stiles jump against him and Derek wanted to wrap an arm around him to assure him that everything was okay, but he couldn’t turn his back on the alpha.

The alpha crashed against the door again, trying to force the doors off of its hinges.

Stiles took a step back. “It does know it would be easier to just open the door right?” He was trying for casual, but Derek could hear how terrified Stiles was.

“I’m pretty sure it’s too crazed to think like that, Stiles,” Derek whispered back, following Stiles as he retreated. Derek didn’t think of it as a retreat though, because he was just moving away in anticipation of the doors coming off. He didn’t want to get hit. He didn’t want Stiles to get hit.

“We should _definitely_ have thought this through,” Stiles muttered as the alpha crashed into the door a third time, sending the door flying off the hinges.

Derek stared at it, big and black and growling in their general direction. It took a step forward, claws digging into the floor. Derek stepped back, pushing Stiles with his back. His instincts were screaming that they needed to run, and he wanted to listen to them, but he knew if he ran the alpha would chase them.

“Now?” Stiles whispered.

The alpha let out a howl and Derek turned, pushing Stiles to turn as well, and they ran deeper into the school.

***

“Wasn’t that the greatest?” Lydia gushed, arms latched around Jackson’s bicep as they walked towards his car. She kissed his cheek. “My baby scored three times. So proud of you, honey.”

Jackson grinned, shifting his lacrosse equipment. “All in a night’s work. But let’s be real, I’m captain for a reason.”

“It’s obviously not your modesty,” Danny quipped, grinning when Jackson shot him a dirty look.

Allison looked at Scott, who was trailing behind, carrying his own equipment. He’d sat on the bench the entire game, eagerly waiting for a chance to go on the field. She’d seen him looking back at her, where she was holding her sign with his name on it, and cheering for the team the entire time next to Lydia. He’d never gotten to go on the field though, and even though they had won by a cushy margin, Scott still looked like they had lost. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder, kissing his cheek.

“I’m proud of you,” she whispered and Scott only smiled self-deprecatingly.

“What? That I’m the only benchwarmer with a cheering section?”

Allison stuck her tongue out. “Well I was going to say that I was proud of you for being such a good sport, but I’ll take it back.”

Scott sighed, leaning against her as they got to Jackson’s car.

“Are we going out?” Lydia asked as they climbed into the car, the lacrosse equipment going in the very small space in the trunk, and Danny, Allison and Scott squeezing into the back.

“Victory celebration?” Danny asked. “Sounds like a good idea. Jackson, you wanna go to that burger joint on the outskirts of town?”

Jackson shrugged. “Whatever. You are paying me for gas though, McCall.”

Scott looked offended. “What? Why? You don’t need gas money.”

Jackson glared at him. “Now that isn’t very nice to say to the person hauling your sorry bench-warming ass around.”

Allison saw Scott’s leg twitch, and she put a hand on his knee before he tried to kick the back of Jackson’s seat. “Jackson,” she said sweetly, leaning between the front seats and smiling at him. “Shut up and drive.”

He shot her a dirty look, but didn't say anything as he started the car.

Lydia and Danny started talking about their chemistry projects, and Allison leaned back in her seat, laying her head on Scott’s shoulder. He was tense next to her, and she rubbed his forearm.

“What’s wrong?” She whispered and Scott shrugged, pulling out his phone.

“Nothing.” He scrolled through his texts, and Allison looked away as she caught him looking at texts from Stiles.

She turned her attention to Danny instead, where he had gone silent as Lydia and Jackson started arguing about what they were going to get.

“Sorry you’re the fifth wheel,” she said, poking his shoulder.

Danny looked at her askance, and shrugged. “It’s alright.”

“You were really good tonight. Didn’t let a single player score on you.”

He smiled brightly at that. “Thanks.”

“Why didn’t Stiles come again?” She asked.

Danny blew out a breath. “Cause coach banned him.”

“Coach banned who?” Jackson asked, looking at them through the rearview window.

Danny shook his head. “Stiles. That’s why he didn’t come to the game.”

“Oh. I didn’t even notice he was missing,” Jackson muttered. Danny shared a look with Allison, while Lydia let out a snort. “What? I didn’t!”

Lydia looked back at them. “Oh please. He was talking the entire way to pick you guys up about how happy he was that Finstock threatened to drag Stiles onto the bench if he so much as showed his face around the lacrosse field.”

Danny laughed. “Coach is a little passionate.”

“Hey Danny?” Scott asked. “Have you gotten any texts from Stiles?” Scott asked, looking worried.

“I haven’t checked,” Danny said, pulling out his phone. He frowned, and Allison looked over his shoulder, watching as he pulled up a text from Stiles.

_met me at the school! congrats on game honey!_

Danny laughed. “He’s so weird sometimes.” Allison thought his face said the exact opposite, because he looked happy for the first time since Stiles had refused to sneak into the game, consequences be damned. “Jackson, can you swing by the school? Stiles wants to meet up.”

“We’re almost at Mickey’s,” Jackson said through clenched teeth.

“It’s not that far,” Danny protested, leaning over Allison to stick his head between the two seats. “Please? For me?”

Jackson didn’t sound too happy when he responded with a tight, “sure.”

He took a sharp left, heading in the direction of the school. Danny was smiling the entire way there, tapping his finger against his knee. Allison was happy to see him happy for the first time in awhile. She’d noticed him drooping every once in a while, and she always wanted to go over to ask him how he was, but Lydia would be there just as she was ready to, talking to Danny in hushed whispers.

Allison squinted her eyes and saw that Lydia had stuck her hand through the space between her seat and the door and was squeezing Danny’s hand. She was smiling faintly, eyes closed as her other hand stroked Jackson’s forearm.

Jackson took another sharp turn into the school parking lot, and he frowned. “Where did Stiles say to meet him?”

Danny leaned forward as Jackson parked next to a sleek black car. Scott tensed up and Allison looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head.

“Is that Stiles’ new car?” Lydia asked, leaning forward.

Danny shrugged. “Lydia can you pull your seat up so I can get out?”

Jackson opened his own door too. “I’m not leaving you here without seeing where Stilinski is.”

Danny climbed over the seat, and the conversation faded, but Allison could still vaguely hear them arguing. She looked at Scott, who was looking at the car with growing horror, his eyes swinging up to the school door.

“Oh god,” he whispered, climbing over the driver’s seat to get out of the car.

Allison traded a look with Lydia before she followed suit, getting out of the car. Jackson and Danny’s arguing halted, and Jackson looked at them.

“What’s wrong?”

Scott was running up to the doors and Allison gasped a little when she saw it was pushed off the hinges. “Oh no,” he was mumbling to himself, and he pulled out his phone, dialing someone.

“Scott?” Allison asked, as she joined him, the other three not far behind her.

“He’s not picking up, fuck.” Scott hung up his phone, not paying them any attention as he headed into the school, eyes wide with worry.

“Should we be doing this?” Lydia asked, trailing behind all of them, and Allison dropped back so she didn’t fall behind.

“Well, the door was open,” Danny breathed, looking around in the dark.

The halls were eerie in the dark and silence. Allison kept checking behind her, waiting for something to pop out from one of the doors. Scott kept looking at his phone, and by the time they got to the main office, Danny was on his phone as well, both trying to reach Stiles.

“What the fuck,” Jackson breathed, looking around. “It doesn’t look like anyone is here. Have you got Stilinski on the phone yet?”

Danny shook his head. “He’s not picking up.”

Allison frowned. “We should probably get out of here.”

A door banged open and the five of them jumped, looking towards the sound of the door. Footsteps were coming closer, feet pounding on the ground and Allison grabbed hold of Scott’s hand, as she tried to see if it was worth it to run back into the office to hide.

Lydia was already moving towards the office, dragging Jackson and Danny with her when Stiles came running around the corner, a tall, older man right behind him.

“Stiles?” Scott called, and Allison could see even in the dark that Stiles’ face was full of surprise as he rushed up to them.

“Oh my god, what are you guys doing here?” Stiles asked, coming to a halt in front of them.

Danny waved his phone. “Uh, you texted me?”

Stiles quirked an eyebrow. “Texted you-“

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by another bang and then the other guy’s body was twisting around, face going pale. “Stiles, we need to run,” he ordered.

Stiles nodded. “Yup. On it!”

Before anyone could protest Stiles was ushering them towards a side stairwell, and demanding that they go up. Allison heard Jackson try, complaining as he wasn’t listened to. Stiles didn’t stop until he had them in the upstairs hallway. The other man brought up the back, and when he came through the door, Allison watched as Stiles and he took a thick chain, locking it around the double doors.

“Where did you even grab this from?” Stiles asked, holding the chain as the guy _physically twisted the chain_ , locking it in place.

“It was attached to the janitor’s cleaning cart,” the guy stepped back, looking at the door. “That’s not gonna hold for long.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Stiles said, rubbing his face. “Fuck, we should have had a better plan.”

The other guy glanced over to them, arching his eyebrow. “Why are they here again?”

“I have no idea,” Stiles muttered, waving briefly, pasting a cheerful smile on his face. “Hey guys.”

There was a moment of silence.

“What the hell is going on, Stilinski?” Jackson demanded.

***

The plan could definitely have gone better. They should have invested in some type of tool to weaken the alpha because when it came down to it, Derek and he were not ready to brawl with an angry, crazy alpha. It was too personal, rolling around and ripping through flesh. Neither of them were mentally ready to kill like that, and Stiles honestly wasn’t sure if they ever would be.

Guns would be easier, he had decided when they had managed to trap the alpha in the locker room after they had seen the janitor get killed. That had also been fun, trapped in a corner by the alpha, only to be saved when the night janitor distracted it by coming in. And by distracted, Stiles meant the alpha went and _killed_ some guy, and Derek and he were too chicken to do anything but take that as an opportunity to run.

And now, for some reason, Danny, Scott, Allison, Lydia and _Jackson fucking Whittemore_ were here at the school when they should have been busy with the lacrosse game.

Stiles rubbed his temples, trying to think of what he was going to say, but Jackson was impatient.

“And who the hell is this?” He demanded, pointing at Derek.

Stiles sighed, waving in Derek’s general direction as he kept one ear out for the alpha. “Derek, people. People, Derek.” The alpha hadn’t followed them up the stairs. It was probably just toying with them, like always.

Lydia was the one who repeated Jackson’s previous question. “What’s going on? And why did you need to chain the door?”

Stiles looked at Derek, who had started prowling up and down the hall, searching outside. “Well you see,” Stiles stared, and then he cut himself off, because there was no way they would believe him about some Halloween joke.

There was a bang from down the hall, and Stiles heard claws hitting the tile floor.

“Fuck,” he whispered, locking eyes with Derek, who looked just as panicked as he did. They couldn’t explain the alpha.

“Derek owes people money. Really, really scary people,” Scott cut in, like that somehow explained everything.

Stiles was pretty sure his face matched Derek’s, who looked completely offended. Everyone else traded looks, and Stiles saw them looking Derek up and down, probably all coming to the same conclusion: Derek looked like the kind of shady guy who would owe people money: leather jacket, stubble, scowl? Totally the bitch of a loan shark.

Scott shrugged. “Sorry for outing you.” He tried to look apologetic, but Derek just let out a heavy sigh.

“Whatever. We just need to get out of here. You kids should go home.”

Lydia pushed herself forward. “Gladly,” she said, heading towards to the other stairwell.

Stiles watched everyone else follow after her and he rubbed his face as Danny shot him a confused, hurt look while he passed him. Stiles fell in step with Derek, walking with everyone down the hall.

“I don’t like this,” Derek whispered, too low for humans to pick up.

Stiles nodded his head, knowing Derek was watching him. “It’s like a tingling in the back of my head.”

“We get rid of the humans, and then we regroup.”

“Agreed,” Stiles whispered back, keeping an eye on his friends to make sure they actually did what they were supposed to. They had a tendency to act out, and it was one of the traits that Stiles wished he could manipulate out of them.

Lydia reached the door first and raised her hands to push it open when Derek’s head shot up, eyes drawn to the window. Stiles stopped and followed his gaze, gasping when he saw the alpha on the other roof, watching them.

“How did it get over there?” Stiles breathed out a bit too loudly, because he heard heads turn.

Scott and Danny were squinting, trying to see through the dark to what they were looking at. Scott turned questioning eyes towards him, and everyone else had froze.

“Go!” Derek barked, and Stiles glanced over for a quick moment to see that the alpha was moving fast, coming right towards them, and he went on autopilot, forcing everyone down the stairwell.

Jackson complained the whole way down, but Stiles heard the crash through a window, and he knew at least Danny heard it too because his head shot up, looking back.

“Keep running!” Stiles commanded, pushing lightly on Danny’s back to keep him going.

“What kind of people do you owe money to?” Danny demanded as they made it to the first floor, Stiles steering them in that direction because _dead body_ and all.

Derek didn’t answer him, moving in front of everyone, and heading for the front doors. Stiles jogged after him, leaving the others to follow as Derek tried to open the door.

He jumped back, and the scent of burnt flesh hit Stiles’ nose. Derek looked at him with wide eyes, and Stiles’ eyes snapped down to Derek’s hands, which were smoking.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“Wolfsbane,” Derek mouthed back, as he moved aside so one of the humans could push the door open.

Stiles watched in horror as the door shook open, but caught on the chains wrapped around the handles. Even with Jackson, Danny, and Scott trying to move it, the chain wouldn’t snap.

“Help us a little here?” Danny demanded, looking at Derek.

“Let’s try a different door,” Lydia suggested, already halfway down the hallway. “There’s a way out through the locker room.”

Stiles traded a horrified look with Derek. “No.”

Allison glared at him. “Why not?”

Stiles opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking at Derek for help, but that was hopeless, because Derek was even worse with words than he was. He dropped his head in defeat. “Because the janitor died down there. Like, a super messy death. Blood everywhere.”

Someone drew in a sharp breath, but all Stiles heard was Jackson going, “Is this some kind of sick prank, Stilinski?”

Stiles’ eyes snapped towards him. “Why the fuck would I joke about something like that, Jackson?”

“Why didn’t you tell us from the beginning?”

“It wasn’t like I had time to tell you anything!” Stiles shot back.

“Yeah, because you’ve been running us all around this school, for some stupid reason.”

Stiles sucked in a breath. “We told you. People. Scary people. Chasing us.”

“Then leave!” Jackson shouted.

“We apparently can’t!” Stiles screamed back, getting right up in Jackson’s face.

“Guys!” Danny cut in between them, pushing them away from each other. “This isn’t helping anything.” He looked tired, scared, and defeated and Stiles didn’t know which was worse. When he spoke next his voice was a whisper. “And we’re giving away our position by yelling.”

“It already knows where we are,” Derek said, eyes darting around the main foyer.

Stiles rolled his eyes and motioned for Derek to continue, but when it was obvious that Derek was just _not getting it_ he elaborated. “Probably, is what Derek means. It’s not like _they_ have super powers.”

Derek glared at him, heading down the hall, passed Lydia who was on her cell phone. Stiles hadn’t even realized she had called someone. That was the smart thing to do obviously. Lydia was smart. This made sense.

“Who did you call?” He asked just as Lydia hung up, smelling more and more terrified.

“I called the sheriff’s department, but they said they’d already gotten a call to be on the lookout for prank calls about break-ins at the school,” she said in a shaky whisper.

Allison sucked in a breath. “Call them back?”

“No, that won’t do anything,” Stiles cut in. “They’ll just trace Lydia’s number and go visit her house before even bothering to come here.”

“I’ll call my dad,” Allison offered, biting her thumb.

“No!” Derek and he said at the same time, causing Allison to jump in surprise.

“Why not?” Jackson demanded.

“Because, if she tries to I will crush her phone with my fist.”

“Woah-woah!” Stiles walked in front of Derek. “No need for threats of phone-breakage.” He looked at Allison. “Allison, just _trust me_ we really don’t need your dad here. What I’ll do is call _my father_ , the sheriff, because he’ll actually listen to me.” He pulled out his phone, “Okay?”

No one argued with him as he called his dad. Or tried to, at least. He kept getting sent to his dad’s voicemail, and Stiles groaned in frustration.

“Don’t betray me like this phone,” he muttered.

“Stiles. We should really move them,” Derek said, looking up and down the hallways.

“No, I’m not going anywhere.” Jackson crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood his ground.

Stiles sighed, but it was Danny who spoke up. “Jackson, we don’t have time for your hissy fits. We are listening to them.” He turned towards Derek. “Where should we go?”

Derek arched an eyebrow, and then sighed. “Let’s find a classroom.”

Lydia raised her hand. “May I make a suggestion?” Everyone looked at her, and Stiles made a _go on_ motion with his hand. “We should maybe get some weapons?”

Derek glowered. “And where would we get those?”

“Don’t give me that look,” Lydia quipped. “Just take us to a chemistry room.”

Stiles figured it would be inappropriate to laugh at Derek’s pained expression, but it was so hard not to because he just got told by a fifteen year old girl.

***

Derek managed to get them to a chemistry room without them being chased by whatever the hell was after them. Jackson refused to believe it was actually whatever Scott had said it was. People that Derek owed money wouldn’t stalk and trap innocent teens in a school, but it was obvious that Stiles and Derek, or Scott for that matter, wouldn’t tell the truth. So Jackson watched silently as Lydia grabbed different bottles for whatever she was doing.

He sat next to her, handing her bottles as she asked for them, but he kept one eye on Stiles and Derek whispering to each other in a corner. He couldn’t hear them, but he could see Danny’s face while he watched them, and that was enough for his mind to go racing with what they could possibly be saying.

Lydia swirled whatever she made in the beaker and presented it to Derek. “Now, when they show up, we just toss this at them, and poof.”

Derek broke away from his conversation with Stiles to take the beaker. He scrunched up his nose. “Strong.”

“It’s an explosive, dumb-ass,” Lydia said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“How do you know how to make an explosive?” Scott asked, and Jackson heard Danny snort quietly next to him.

Lydia bit her lip, twirling a finger through her hair. “Oh? Doesn’t everyone know how to do that? I thought we covered it in class?”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Not unless I missed that day of class, which, oh look. I didn’t.”

“Shut it, Stiles,” Lydia shot at him angrily and he just raised his hands in defeat, taking the beaker from Derek.

“We’ll be back,” Stiles called, turning towards the door. “Barricade the door behind us okay?”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Danny asked, at the same time Derek grabbed Stiles by the shoulder, turning him around.

“What, dude?” Stiles looked at Derek.

“You’re staying here.”

“Yes, exactly. Thank you, Derek,” Danny said, walking up to Stiles and taking the beaker from him to hand to Derek.

“I am not letting you go by yourself.” Stiles turned to Danny. “I am not letting him go by himself.” His head snapped back to Derek, and he looked honestly terrified. “No. Derek.”

“Just let him go,” Jackson called out. “The sooner he leaves, the sooner we can get out of here.”

Stiles gave him an angry look. “Derek, you are not going without me.” He turned around to say something, but Jackson watched as Derek grabbed Stiles, pulling him close and whispering something to him. Jackson couldn’t hear what he said, and from the look on Danny’s face, he wasn’t sure Danny could hear either. Whatever Derek said though, when he stepped away Stiles’ shoulders had drooped in defeat. “Fine, you fuck. I am not crying over your dead body.”

Derek didn’t respond. “I’ll be back. You guys need to stay here.” He gave Stiles a significant look at that. “Got it.”

“Roger,” Stiles said, giving a mock salute.

When the door shut behind Derek, Jackson immediately got to his feet. “So which way are we going while he distracts whatever it is?”

“We aren’t going anywhere,” Scott said quietly. “We’re staying here until Derek gets back.”

“Exactly.” Stiles took a seat against the door. “If you want to leave, you have to go through me.”

Jackson snorted. “Oh, like that’s such a hardship.”

“Try me,” Stiles said, narrowing his eyes.

“No.” Danny took a seat next to Stiles, lacing their fingers together. “You are not doing this.”

Stiles didn’t relax. He stayed tense, head tilted towards the door, even when Danny started stroking the back of his hand, trying to calm him down. Jackson looked away, not wanting to watch them. He hated seeing Danny do this to himself. Stiles had ditched their first lacrosse game to go help some guy deal with the mob or something. He was bad news.

After a few minutes Stiles was up, pacing in front of the door.

“Sit down. It’s okay.” Danny grabbed Stiles’ hand and pulled him back down. “Derek will be alright.”

“Why do we even care that he’ll be okay?” Jackson asked. Danny had no reason to be reassuring Stiles that his friend would be fine. Stiles shouldn’t be concerned about someone else. He should be concerned about them. They were still trapped in this school. “He could have abandoned us, for all we know.”

Stiles turned cold, hard eyes towards him. “Derek wouldn’t leave me.”

“Well he seems to be doing a good job at it right now.” Jackson waved his arm around to show the lack of Derek in the room.

“That’s because Derek is an idiot with a hero-complex,” Stiles said, banging the back of his head against the door.

“Or maybe he’s just a coward.”

Jackson didn’t care that Stiles’ eyes narrowed. He didn’t care that Stiles was clenching his fist. He wasn’t afraid of him.

Stiles took a deep breath, and it looked like he was calming down. Jackson didn’t want that. Jackson knew that wasn’t what Stiles really was. Stiles was manipulative. Stiles was a liar.

“He’s not a coward,” Stiles said calmly.

“He left us here for dead, Stilinski. When’s he gonna come back?” Jackson stood up, and Stiles copied him, both of them ignoring Danny and Scott telling them to calm down. “He’s not, is he? And you’re just too chicken shit to admit it.”

“You know what your problem is, Jackson? You have really shitty friends, so you don’t know what it’s like to depend on people, and have people pull through. But Derek? Derek is not going to abandon us. Derek is out there _risking his life_ and all you can do is whine, and bitch, and I’m getting really fucking sick of your shit.”

Blood was pounding in Jackson’s ears, and it sounded like a roar. “Risking his life? Way to be overdramatic Stilinski!” They were shouting now, up in each other’s faces, ignoring everyone else in the room.

“You cannot even begin to understand the shit that we have gone through, Jackson! The shit that Derek has gone through! The shit I’ve put up with! Derek is not going to abandon me now, even though when he gets back I damn may well tell him to leave you here.”

Jackson took a swing, but Stiles ducked, surprising him. He hadn’t thought Stiles had that good of reactions, and then he couldn’t really think, because all there was was pain in his face.

Someone was screaming, and Jackson fell back on the ground, sliding across the floor. He reached up and touched his face, and when he took his hand away there was blood. A lot of blood. His whole hand was bloody. And his face hurt. It hurt a lot.

People were screaming, and someone was beside him, trying to move him. Hands. Lots of hands. He recognized the smaller hands – he thought. They felt like Lydia.

He could barely see. His vision was blurry, and right before he passed out, he could have sworn the door to the room crashed open and some big, black, _monster_ with blood red eyes walked in.

***

This could have definitely been better planned. Like, they could have tested whatever thing the redhead girl had given him because whatever it was supposed to do, it did not do. She had promised explosions. There had been no explosions.

He’d had the alpha cornered, lured into the gymnasium. Sure he had been shaking, terrified because all his instincts were telling him to submit. This was an alpha. This was the leader of his pack. But he pushed that aside and listened to his human side. He thought about Stiles, and how they were going to build a pack once this was over. Stiles was going to be his head beta. He was going to be alpha. He wasn’t prepared for this at all, but it was going to happen.

The beaker had just hit the alpha square in the chest, bursting, but not catching on fire, and Derek had been left staring slack jawed. It hadn’t done anything, just made the alpha angry. It roared, and pushed passed him, knocking Derek to the side.

He cursed, turning and trying to chase the alpha down. The alpha was running on all fours and Derek could not catch up. He couldn’t do anything, just watch as the alpha barreled up the stairs, knocking open doors, heading right for the room with Stiles.

Derek pushed himself harder. He needed to get to Stiles. He needed to be beside his pack mate. They were stronger together. He shouldn’t have left Stiles behind. He needed to—

The alpha ran into the chemistry door room and Derek was hit with the smell of blood and high pitched screaming.

It wasn’t Stiles’ blood though, and that kept Derek going. He skidded into the room, taking in the scene quickly.

Stiles was facing out with the alpha, standing in front of the other kids shifted. The blond guy, Jackson, Derek thought distantly, was laid out on the ground unconscious, blood dripping from his face. The two girls and Scott were beside him, Scott trying to apply pressure to his head wounds. Stiles’ boyfriend was beside Stiles, face pale as he gripped a stool as a weapon.

Derek growled and he felt himself shift. The alpha ignored him, keeping its focus on Stiles and Danny.

“Oh god, oh god,” Scott’s girlfriend was whispering, looking between the alpha and Jackson. She was gripping the hand of the redhead.

Derek leapt towards the alpha, trying to get on its back. He couldn’t let it advance, but it dodged his attack, and Derek couldn’t turn fast enough.

The alpha was heading straight for Danny.

Screams assaulted Derek’s senses, but he tried to filter them out. He lunged for the alpha again, forcing all his body weight as he hit its side. He felt Stiles hit next to him, and together they managed to roll the alpha off of Danny.

The boy was smart enough to scramble away, running to the others and throwing his arms out, trying to shield the other four.

Derek rolled, trying to pull the alpha out into the hallway. Stiles worked with him, and the three of them tumbled out the door. The alpha roared as Derek sunk his fangs into its chest. He knew it wouldn’t be enough to kill the alpha, but it still hurt.

Stiles was attacking the alpha as well, teeth and claws, and he was moving fast enough to dodge the wayward swipes from the alpha’s claws. They weren’t winning, barely dominating, but they weren’t getting hurt, and that’s all that mattered to Derek. He knew if he smelled Stiles’ blood it would send him into a rage, and he wasn’t sure if he could keep his humanity.

He felt a slice on his chest, and Derek didn’t need to look down to see the blood staining his shirt. He fought through the cut, knowing it would heal even if it was slowly.

Stiles let out an enraged howl, eyes glowing. Derek fell backwards as Stiles sunk teeth into the alpha’s arm. It took him a moment to realize Stiles wasn’t stopping, and his wolf had taken over him completely.

Derek grabbed Stiles, pulling him off of the alpha. If Stiles killed the alpha their plans would be ruined before they even began.

The alpha let out a whimper, crawling in the opposite direction. Stiles tried to fight him, trying to reach the alpha, but Derek pulled him away, back towards the room. The alpha was retreating. The alpha was wounded, and while it would probably take more to kill it, the fact that they had gotten this far proved they _could_ and they should be proud.

Derek got Stiles into the chemistry room, shutting the door behind them and he dropped them both to the ground. He was vaguely aware of the others in the room, but Derek was too focused on Stiles. Stiles, who was pressing his hands to Derek’s chest, making sure that the cut was healing.

He cupped Stiles’ cheek, drawing Stiles’ attention up to his face. “I’m okay.”

Stiles let out a whine, but he shifted back to human, and immediately nuzzled his face into Derek’s neck. “All I could smell was your blood.”

Derek stroked his hair, letting Stiles rest against him. “I know. It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Stiles nodded against his neck, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

Derek closed his eyes letting the feeling of Stiles resting against him wash over him. The alpha was gone, and they had failed, but at the same time they _hadn’t died_ and that was good.

“What. The. Fuck. Was. That.” One of the girl’s voices cut through the room.

Derek opened his eyes as Stiles sprung away from him, looking wide-eyed at the other kids in the room. Scott was still tending to Jackson’s wounds, focusing on that instead of anything going around him.

“Uh, I can explain?” Stiles said quietly.

Danny glared at him. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

“We need to call an ambulance for Jackson,” Scott spoke up, looking over at Stiles. “I think you broke his jaw, and you definitely broke his nose.”

Stiles winced, and Derek looked at him questioningly. “I punched Jackson,” Stiles muttered, standing up and grabbing his phone from his pocket.

“You _broke his face_.” Scott let out a chuckle. “I thought you’d worked on that whole control thing.”

Stiles groaned, looking apologetically at Derek. “He pissed me off.”

Derek looked down at his chest, and sighed, zipping up his jacket. “Whatever. I need to get out of here.”

“No.” Danny stood up, eyes blazing. “Answers. Now. What happened?”

Stiles hissed. “So I want to start this off by saying that none of you can repeat _anything_ I am about to tell you. I am serious. You can’t tell _anyone_. The cops are coming here, and they can’t know this. Whatever me and Derek come up with, you have to agree with it.”

Danny looked at Jackson laid out on the floor. “We’ll see about this.”

“No,” Derek said standing up. “You don’t tell anyone. This does not leave this room. It’s for Stiles’ safety. You can’t tell a single person.” His eyes darted to Allison. “Especially you, Allison.”

“What?” She gasped out. “Why me?”

Stiles sighed. “Because Derek and I are werewolves and your family is a bunch of werewolf hunters.”

Danny burst out into laughter. “Really? That’s your excuse?” He covered his face. “Oh my god, what is my life?”

“It’s the truth,” Stiles tried, but Danny just cut him off.

“Out of anything you could have said?”

“What? What else could explain this? That is the truth!” Stiles argued, waving his hands around. “I got bitten by a werewolf before winter break, and that monster we just fought? That’s the wolf that bit me! And Derek and I are trying to kill it, before it gets killed by either Allison’s dad, or Allison’s aunt, or it kills one of us!”

“He’s telling the truth,” Scott whispered, looking at Danny pleadingly. “You saw it for yourself. All of you. We’re in this together now, and for Stiles’ sake you guys _can’t_ tell anyone.” He waited until Danny was looking at him before he continued. “You know that day Stiles was sick and I told you guys we couldn’t go see him? A hunter had shot him while he was tracking the alpha – that’s what we call the leader.”

“We know what an alpha is, Scott,” Lydia muttered.

Scott ignored her. “He was _dying_ because of the bullet wound, because of what was in the bullet, and we only just managed to save him. This is dangerous, and no one can know.”

Danny covered his mouth with his hand. “I’m calling 911.” He left the room, going into the hallway. 

Derek could hear him on the phone, asking for an ambulance. He looked at Stiles, who seemed torn between going out to Danny, and staying away from him. Derek wished he could be impartial and do what he thought was best for Stiles, but instead he just raised his arm up, beckoning Stiles over to him. Stiles attached himself to Derek’s side, and Derek tried not to think about how he was possibly ruining things for him. Stiles had chosen to be by his side. Stiles was the one who was choosing to press his nose in Derek’s neck. Derek wasn’t forcing him. This was not his fault.

Still he felt a little guilty when Danny came back in, glanced at them with a hurt expression and then went to Jackson’s side, checking in with Scott to see how he was.

***

Allison had so many questions. She wanted to ask all of them, even if they were stupid sounding. What did being a werewolf mean? What did werewolves do? What were hunters?

They seemed so obvious, but Allison still wanted an explanation. She wanted Stiles to stop cuddling with Derek so he could answer them, but the two of them looked so shaken up, younger than they had when they were fighting against that thing- the alpha. Looking at them now she couldn’t believe the two of them were capable of turning into monsters, of making guttural noises that she was sure would haunt her dreams.

They were just humans.

They were just werewolves. Things that her family thought were worth hunting. They must have been dangerous. Or at least some of them were. Maybe not Stiles. Maybe Derek. But maybe not. He hadn’t done anything to _them_. And Stiles had only attacked Jackson because Jackson was pushing his buttons. Jackson couldn’t have known that Stiles’ punch would break his jaw. Jackson couldn’t have known that Stiles and Derek were werewolves. None of them had known.

 _Scott had known,_ her mind whispered.

Scott had hidden it from her.

She couldn’t even be mad about it though, because if Scott had told her that when he was breaking into her aunt’s room she would have laughed him right out of her life. A part of her still felt like doing that, but then she looked at him, and saw how calm he was compared to everyone else. He hadn’t even batted an eye when the alpha came into the room, focusing all his attention on Jackson. He had been the one to order her and Lydia to stay by him. He had been the one to grab Danny and force him to not interfere.

He’d said that Stiles and Derek would handle it. They would protect them, and they _had_. Stiles and Derek had risked their lives and had tried to keep them safe.

She took a deep breath.

Her mind was racing and she needed it to calm down.

“The police will probably be following the ambulance,” Danny muttered, not taking his eyes off of Jackson.

Allison couldn’t blame him. It was probably a easier view to swallow than Stiles pressing his face in Derek’s neck. “They are going to call my dad,” she breathed out.

Scott’s eyes snapped to her. “Allison.”

She cut him off. “No. I won’t tell them. I-“ she looked at Stiles and Derek. “They were just trying to protect us. I couldn’t betray them like that.”

Scott relaxed, gazing at her with soft eyes. “Thank you so much.”

“Whatever,” Lydia jumped in. “The bigger question is what the hell are we going to tell the cops, since we aren’t telling the truth?” She stood up, tapping her foot impatiently. “Werewolves,” she snapped, tapping her foot impatiently until she had Stiles and Derek’s attention. “Do you have an explanation that we can pass off to the cops? Because that stupid story about you owing people money is not going to pass, especially with a _dead body_ downstairs.” The two of them looked at her with wide eyes. “Oh, don’t think I’ve forgotten. You want us to keep your secret you have to give us something to work with.”

Stiles licked his lips, stepping away from Derek. “I- guess we could try with the truth?”

“Great. The truth, minus werewolves. Wonderful.” Lydia glared at him. “And what is the truth?”

Stiles looked at Derek, who just shook his head. Stiles went ahead anyway. “Derek and I were here trying to catch his sister’s killer.” He took a deep breath. “Remember that dead body from before Christmas? The one they couldn’t identify. That was his sister.”

“Good. So you two have been conducting your own investigation for some reason. Maybe it’s because Derek doesn’t trust the cops after what happened with his family, great. Breaking copious laws by playing vigilantes is better than werewolves.” She narrowed her eyes, and looked back at Jackson. “We showed up after the game to celebrate here and met up with you two by accident. We didn’t see anything, because Derek locked us in this room for our own safety.”

“How do we explain Jackson?” Danny asked.

Lydia bit her lip, and when she spoke again her voice was trembling. “I guess… we can say he ran, and we found him like this. So that way no one gets in trouble.”

“The Argents can’t know how close I am with Stiles,” Derek spoke up. “They think they killed the second beta, and I want to keep it that way.”

“I don’t know how to get around that. Everyone already knows Stiles wasn’t at the game with us,” Danny said quietly. He finally looked over at the two of them. “The best you can do is say what you’ve told me. You two were friends before you left town, and Stiles pestered his way into your life.” Allison was impressed with how composed he sounded when she could see how much it hurt him. “You let him stick around because he had access to the police department. The hunters would believe that, I think.”

Allison nodded. “We will back that up.” She watched as Derek’s shoulders dropped and he reached out to hold Stiles’ hand. She wondered if they even realized what they were doing, or if it was some werewolf thing. She’d never been interested in mythology like that before, so she had no idea how the lore went when the werewolves weren’t crazy, blood thirsty monsters. She sent Derek a shaky smile. “Anything to protect you and Stiles, I promise.”

He gave her a curt nod just as the windows started to reflect the lights of an ambulance.

“We need to move Jackson,” Danny whispered, and he moved aside as Derek stepped forward, picking him up carefully. It was strange seeing Derek act like Jackson weighed nothing, and she wondered if Stiles had that same kind of strength. He must have, because of how easily he managed to hurt Jackson.

Allison followed behind Derek, holding Lydia’s hand in one hand and Scott’s in the other. On the other side of Lydia was Danny, and she felt for a moment like they were all connected. They all understood each other. It was strange, but she felt like their friendship was deeper now. They all had this secret to share, and they were going to keep it.

She was at least, and she knew Scott would, and it looked like Lydia and Danny would as well. Jackson was the odd one out, but when he came to he would probably be on so many drugs that no matter what he said no one would believe him. They had to look out for each other.

The cops were waiting for them when they came out, EMTs rushing to Derek to take Jackson onto a stretcher. Questions were already being flung at them and Allison gripped Lydia and Scott’s hands tighter, trying to compose herself and get the story straight in her mind.

“Allison? Allison!” She looked up and saw her dad rushing towards her.

It hit her, the exhaustion, the rush, everything. She dropped Scott’s and Lydia’s hands and ran into his arms, letting out a dry sob. “Oh god I was so scared,” she cried, holding onto him tightly.

He hugged her back, cupping the back of her head so she could cry into his shoulder. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he whispered to her, and even though his voice sounded soothing she could feel how tense he was. She was sure if she looked up she’d see his eyes locked on Derek. “What happened?” He asked, pulling her back so she could talk.

Allison wiped her cheek, and she could see Scott out of the corner of her eye watching her, waiting to hear what she was going to say. She sobbed again and shook her head. “I don’t know we just- after the game we thought we’d hang out here, and then suddenly there was yelling and Derek was rushing us into the school to get us away from it and I don’t know.” She hated herself because she was starting to cry, but she needed her dad to believe her. She could feel him getting tense at the mention of Derek but she just kept talking to distract him. “We just, we were in the room the entire time, and by the time Derek came back to let us out everything was over.”

Her dad’s eyes were glancing over at Derek, who was being pulled aside by the sheriff with Stiles. “Why was Derek here?”

Allison shook her head. “I don’t know, we didn’t really talk.”

Her dad didn’t look pleased with her non-answer but before he could ask for more details she threw herself back into his arms. She felt him hug her back, muttering to her that everything was okay.

He kissed her forehead. “Let’s get you home.”

Allison nodded, wiping her eyes as her dad stepped away to talk to the sheriff who was talking to Stiles and Derek still. She looked at Lydia, Scott and Danny and shot them a small thumbs up. Scott returned it, smiling brightly in relief. She hid her smile behind her hand as her dad returned, taking her hand and dragging her back to his car. She waved to the three of them, making a “call me” sign with her fingers. Scott nodded, taking out his phone.

When she got in the car she checked her phone and smiled at the text.

_ur teh best!! ilu_

***

“What the hell were you thinking?” Stiles’ dad demanded the moment Allison’s dad had left and they were finished explaining the situation, tales of vigilantism and all.

He had grabbed Stiles by the back of his neck the moment he had laid eyes on him, wanting an explanation. It had only taken a quick look towards Derek before his dad pointed to Derek as well and brought them aside so he could question them. He had not looked amused as Stiles stumbled through Lydia’s lie, but he’d waited until he was finished before he started in on them.

“Are either of you aware how completely illegal everything you have done is?” He pointed his finger in Stiles’ face, and then, probably for equality’s sake, pointed his finger in Derek’s face as well. “You better not have gone through my files, Stiles, I swear.”

“Dad!”

“No,” Derek cut in, hands stuffed in his pocket. “He didn’t. I just needed- Stiles had been in town when Laura was, and he knew the area.”

His dad gave Derek a look. “The town has not changed that much since you’ve left.”

“Dad! Way to be offensive! Derek has a very poor memory!” Stiles didn’t care that Derek was glaring at him for that comment, he was not letting this get out of control. They had a lie, they were sticking with it, and they were going to make everyone believe it. “Besides! I wasn’t going to leave him alone. I mean, come on. It was for his sister.” Stiles’ voice dropped, changing tactics at the last moment to go with pleading and sympathy.

His dad’s face softened, but he still was frowning. “It’s still illegal. You two could have gotten hurt, and Stiles, as much as you don’t want to believe it, you’re still a kid.”

Stiles’ face morphed. “No!”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Derek said, head dropping. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Well, that much is obvious.” Stiles’ dad rubbed his face. “I’m going to need a statement from the two of you, and I’m going to need to open a missing person file for Laura, just long enough to get some DNA match to the legs we found in the woods.”

Derek nodded. “I understand, sir.”

Stiles watched his father look Derek up and down, frown deepening. “Go get checked by the EMTs. You look like shit.” He swung his gaze to Stiles. “You too, Stiles. And when we get home we are having a long talk about how long you are grounded for.”

“Grounded? For what? Being awesome?”

“For being a brat,” his dad retorted. “And because this kind of behavior is _illegal_ , Stiles. Have I stressed that enough?”

Stiles wilted. “Yes sir.”

His dad pointed towards the ambulance. “Now go get checked out, both of you. And Derek, then I want a statement from you so don’t run off.”

“Yes sir.” Derek nodded his head and started to walk towards the ambulance.

Stiles was about to follow him when he saw Danny out of the corner of his eye. He was holding Jackson’s keys in his hand, scuffing his shoe on the pavement as he waited for the cops to clear the car from being evidence. Lydia must have left at some point, because Danny was standing alone, and Stiles veered off from his path towards the ambulance to approach Danny.

“Hey,” he said when he finally got close enough.

Danny jumped in surprise, fist clenching around Jackson’s keys. “Jesus, Stiles.”

“Yeah, it’s me.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Surprise,” he said flatly.

“Yeah.” Danny licked his lips, looking around. “What are- Allison got her dad out of here. I don’t know how much he believed, but.”

“Yeah, we uh. We heard,” Stiles said, pointing to his ears. “Kind of comes with the territory.”

He saw Danny fight a smile, and it made Stiles’ heart jump, because Danny wasn’t _that_ mad if he was smiling, but then his heart dropped. He had been trying to avoid the image of the alpha lunging for Danny, and only Danny, but now that things were calmer it was all he could think of. The alpha had been after Danny. Somehow Danny had showed up at the school uninvited, and Stiles didn’t know how, but he was pretty sure there had been mention of a text, and that meant Danny had been lured.

That was enough to show Stiles that Danny was a target, and Stiles had just witnessed how much he couldn’t protect him.

“The territory,” Danny repeated, laughing nervously. “The werewolf territory. How could I have forgotten?” He dropped down to the curb, burying his face in his hands. When he looked back up at Stiles his face was twisted in wonder. “How is this my life? I mean _seriously_. How can I just be this fucking unlucky. First a serial killer, and then when I actually try to go for someone _normal_ , someone I thought I knew, someone I thought would be _safe_ he fucking-“ Danny buried his face in his hands.

Stiles didn’t know what to say, and he sat down next to Danny. He didn’t wrap an arm around him, though.

“Stiles, I can’t handle this,” Danny whispered, like he already had figured out that Stiles could hear him. “I don’t know the kind of shit you get up to, but Stiles, I can not be a part of this.”

Stiles’ words caught in his throat. He just couldn’t say anything to that because it was so true, and he wanted to tell Danny. He wanted to tell Danny to run because being with him wasn’t safe. The night had been proof of this. But when it came to it, Stiles couldn’t say it.

“What are you...?”

Danny turned his head to the side. “Don’t play stupid Stiles, you know what I’m saying.”

Stiles swallowed and looked down at his hands. There was blood under his nails. “I’m bad for you.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Danny whispered. He sounded choked up, but he wasn’t crying and it made Stiles feel better because he didn’t think he could handle that.

“But you can’t- Danny you can’t cut me out of your life like this.”

“Watch me, Stiles.”

Stiles put his hand on Danny’s bicep, forcing him to stay sitting. He ignored how tense Danny got because he needed to say this. “Danny the alpha was _after you_. I didn’t send whatever text you got to bring you here. I was too busy running for my life. If you cut me out. If you don’t let me and Derek keep an eye on you- Danny even if you don’t want to be with me anymore you still need me. And we’re still friends.”

Danny looked at him with haunted eyes, and then he shrugged Stiles’ hand off of him, standing up. “They are done with Jackson’s car. I’m driving it home. Don’t- don’t talk to me anymore, Stiles. We are finished. I don’t want anything to do with you, or this, or anything. If I see you, or I see Derek, I am-“ he cut him off and Stiles sucked in a breath.

“Whatever you do, never tell the Argents,” Stiles begged.

Danny drooped. “I couldn’t do that to you, Stiles. But seriously. Stay away from me.” He walked off and climbed into Jackson’s car before Stiles could respond. He watched Danny drive off, and then dropped his head to his knees, trying to tell himself it didn’t hurt.

“Are you okay?”

Stiles looked up at Derek, and he let out a shaky laugh before he buried his face in Derek’s thigh. “No.” He tried so hard not to cry.


	8. Episode 8: Show me yours (I'll show you mine)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late!! Real life has gotten super hectic for reasons that are boring but to make up for it have a super long chapter at almost 13k (who am i kidding that is normal length >.>)
> 
> I still plan to go back to updating on Mondays, but obviously things come up and if they do I'm sorry in advance :( I try to post a note on my tumblr (kayevelyn) around 8pm EST if I think I'm going to be late so if you are feening for a chapter you can check there on Mondays to see if there is a delay.
> 
> Boring comments out of the way enjoy the chapter!!!!

Chris had never thought of himself as an angry person. He’d seen what angry people do, and he wasn’t that. Some hunters were twisted, in the business out of revenge, but for Chris it had always been because hunting was a duty. He’d been born into the life just like the monsters were. They could not exist without the other, which is why Chris never understood the need some people had to rid the world of them. If you killed all the monsters what would happen to you then? Chris knew the drive to kill wouldn’t disappear. It could never be sated, and so if you were in this business for revenge, for the bloodlust, you were only going to eventually be hunted yourself.

Chris was able to compartmentalize these things, or at least he had thought he’d been able to. Maybe the reason he’d always been so calm was because his family had never been in danger before. Allison running out of that school though, terrified out of her mind with Derek Hale right behind her, had made him see red. He’d never had the urge to kill a werewolf so much until he had seen what they could do to his family.

And even if Derek hadn’t harmed her, him being what he was put her in danger of a bloodthirsty, crazed alpha and Chris could not allow that. He could not allow his family, his daughter, to be scared. To feel hunted. He had done everything in his power to make sure that she was never exposed to this kind of life until she was old enough to handle it. He had never planned on raising her like he had been raised: eight years old and already knowing how to load a gun and shoot at a target.

By the time he was ten his father had wiped him of compassion for “the other;” something he’d said would be important when dealing with werewolves. Chris hadn’t known what that meant until he was older and saw some werewolves living their day-to-day lives--not monsters like he had been raised to believe, but normal people.

Chris had fought hard to get rid of that brainwashing, and he thought it made him a better hunter. He could tell the difference between a savage wolf and a tame one, and he could see the signs of one who beginning to crack. It allowed him to do his job, but he never wanted Allison to experience that.

And now he was questioning himself. Should he have raised her differently? Had his father been right? Was he just setting her up to be hurt?

Chris didn’t know.

“What’s that look, big brother?”

Chris looked up from where he was sitting at his office desk to see Kate standing in the doorway. He had been making lists, trying to compartmentalize his emotions again. Derek was not the threat. Derek was the exact opposite of the threat, but Derek had broken the code. Or some part of the code. Humans had been hurt.

“Just thinking about last night.”

Kate nodded. “Hale and the alpha right? Trapping those kids in the school.” She glanced at him from under her hair. “Do you think any of them found out?”

Chris shook his head, trying to go over everything. “The one kid, Jackson, who was hurt? He could have seen something before he was injured. But the others? I don’t think so.”

“Do you really believe that?” Kate leaned back. “The sheriff’s son wasn’t at the game, you know.” Chris looked at her. “And I asked around, apparently Alexis saw him and Hale being talked to by the sheriff after everything.”

“What are you getting at?”

Kate shrugged. “Could be nothing. But it’s a little odd, don’t you think? Teen like that hanging out with an older guy would raise a lot of questions in a town like this, questions we would have heard about.”

“And?”

“Don’t be obtuse,” Kate glared. “The sheriff’s kid probably knows more than he’s telling. They all probably do, but that one in specific. He wasn’t at the game, but he shows up at the school?” She leaned back and Chris rubbed his face with his hand.

“Alexis is getting a copy of the police report to see what was said. It could all have been a coincidence.”

“Or there could be more werewolves.”

Chris looked at Kate. “You think?”

“Always a possibility. We killed the first beta. Hale’s sister might have gone and gotten a second one. Derek is protecting him, or her. You know how those things are, they’ll do anything to protect each other.” Kate kicked her feet up on his desk and Chris stared at the soles of her boots.

“They are all innocent until proven guilty.”

“You know that’s not the way we work, Chris.” Kate dropped her feet from the desk and leaned forward, looking Chris in the eye. “Allison was put in danger last night because we let wolves be innocent until proven guilty. We knew where Hale was, but you wouldn’t let us take the right measures.”

“Or maybe she’s safe because he was there,” Chris bit out and then looked away. “I’m not defending him, and god knows a part of me wishes I had put a bullet through his skull myself, but the cold hard facts are that Hale locked those kids in the room and the only reason one of them got hurt was because he _left_. Hale protected them, and it isn’t his fault they were put in danger.” He spoke harshly, trying to get through to Kate, but when he looked her in the eye all he saw was bitter disappointment.

“The only good werewolf is a dead one, and you’d do best to remember that,” Kate said before standing up, chair scraping against the wood floor.

Chris ducked his head, looking back at his list. He wasn’t crazy. He was looking at this from the only way a good hunter could. Facts. Emotions had no place in the field.

***

The text from Scott was still up on her phone when Lydia showed up at Allison’s house Sunday morning. Scott had, reasonably, been unsure how Allison was handling the entire issue of _werewolves_ and the fact that her family hunted them, but had been too scared to show up at her house to confront her face to face. She had tried to reassure him as much as she could through texts, but it was hard when she had moments where she would still be freaking out.

It led to a lot of research.

She had spent most of Saturday on her computer going over her family history. She’d always known her last name meant silver, but it had a whole new meaning now that she knew what it tied in to. All the research had made it hard for her to go down and look her parents, and Kate, in the eye during dinner, but she knew she had to do it. She couldn’t show how affected she was by the whole situation.

Watching them had been revealing, because she could feel them watching her in return. They were looking for something, a sign, a weakness, something that said she was breaking. She couldn’t show them that, because they couldn’t know she was in on it. That would put people in danger, and Allison didn’t want to do that to Stiles. Or Derek.

In her research she had found out her family had a code. A motto: We hunt those that hunt us.

Derek hadn’t tried to hunt her, but Allison couldn’t begin to imagine how loose that motto would be when it came to threats towards their family. She had always known her dad was a good shot, his cover story was a gun dealer! And Kate- Kate had already tried to kill Stiles, without provocation, even!

Allison would not be the reason someone was actually killed. She didn’t want anyone to be that reason, which was why she was doing what Scott had asked in his latest text and reaching out to Lydia and Danny to make sure they hadn’t imploded with this knowledge over the weekend.

Lydia looked composed when Allison opened the door for her, and had even smiled faintly at her dad who was watching them from the kitchen. She didn’t even seem too put out when Allison shut her bedroom door to give them privacy, just took a seat at the end of Allison’s bed and looked at the books Allison had hidden under her desk.

“Research?” Lydia asked, inclining her head towards the books.

Allison nodded. “I mean. You have to start somewhere to take all of it in.”

Lydia hmmed and then looked at Allison. “It’s fascinating stuff, isn’t it? I’ve been texting Stiles all weekend so he can clarify for me, but either Derek is answering all his texts, or he’s really messed up over the whole breakup because all I’ve been getting is one word responses.”

“Wait breakup, what?” Allison asked, and then clamped her hand over her mouth, because that wasn’t what she had wanted to ask. She had wanted to ask about Lydia being _completely calm over this whole thing_ and doing research of her own.

Lydia shrugged. “Yeah. I guess Danny broke up with him, which honestly, good riddance because even taking away the werewolf aspect, Danny does not need the bullshit that is the friendship between Stiles and Derek.”

Allison collapsed in her computer seat. It made sense that Danny would want to leave. Even she had felt vaguely voyeuristic watching Stiles and Derek interact with one another. She could only imagine what Danny had been feeling. “Wow,” she breathed out. “How is Danny taking it?”

Lydia tilted her head back and forth, like she was weighing her options. “Is the FBI website still up?” Allison turned towards her computer in confusion, but before she could search to see if it was Lydia started talking again. “He’s not great, but it has not reached dangerous levels yet. He’s been researching with me, so that’s distracting him, as well as being a good sign. And tomorrow they say Jackson will be up for visitors, so his parents will drive us down to Sacramento to see him.”

“Jackson isn’t at the hospital here?”

Lydia’s gave a tight-lipped smile. “There is no plastic surgeon at this hospital, and he needed his cheek reconstructed. His mother was telling me they think the swelling will go down enough to not be noticeable at the dance next month.”

Allison went slack jaw. She hadn’t realized that Stiles had caused so much damage. “Well that’s good?”

Lydia clucked her tongue. “Indeed. Otherwise I’d be forced to drag Danny _and_ Stiles as my date just to make up for it, and who knows when those two will be on speaking terms again. So. Have I passed your psych evaluation? Can you report back to Scott that I haven’t spilled my guts yet?”

“It wasn’t like that, Lydia.”

“Oh I know. That was only part of it, I’m sure. But it was a sizeable part.”

“Well yeah,” Allison admitted, “but can you blame me? This is a pretty big secret and I thought, maybe we should all get together and kinda cover the basics?”

“We can do that at lunch tomorrow.”

“I meant, like with Derek?” Allison dropped her voice to a whisper as she said Derek’s name. She had kept an ear out for someone creeping outside her door, but she couldn’t be one hundred percent sure.

Lydia gave her a look. “I don’t think that’s a wise idea. Not with Danny, at least.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t know they had broken up when I thought of it.” Allison slumped in her chair in defeat.

The silence stretched over the room for a long minute before Lydia shifted and Allison perked up.

“I guess I could convince Danny to come to a meeting,” she mumbled, taking her phone out of her purse. “He was the one to do the breaking up, and he’s going to need to deal with this shit sooner or later.” Lydia started tapping away at her phone and then she paused, flipping her phone around. “This is probably going to go over better if I yell at him. He’ll just avoid my text.”

Allison clapped her hands together and nodded frantically. “Thank you so much. Tell him I’ll be swinging by to pick him up in a few.” She got off of her chair and went to her closet, pulling out her bow and the quiver she had a few practice arrows in.

“What. The hell is that?” Lydia asked, and when Allison turned around she saw that Lydia was staring at her, tongue in her teeth and the phone held away from her ear.

Allison grinned and waved the bow a little. “The other thing I wanted you and Danny for. A cover story.”

Lydia dropped her hand into her lap. “Explain.”

“For the bow or for the cover story?” Allison asked with a smile.

“Both. And for the record, that innocent act is not cute, and you need to drop it.”

Allison laughed, but nodded herself into a more serious mood. She couldn’t help it, she liked seeing the surprise on people’s face. “I’ve been doing archery since I can remember. It’s kinda like a family tradition?”

“Go figure,” Lydia muttered.

“I realize that _now_. But, I stopped because it’s weird. No one does it anymore. But I think it would come in handy.”

Lydia looked at her. “You mean handy against the alpha?”

Allison nodded. “Every little bit helps, right? And well, if I’m going to be doing this without my parents getting suspicious I can’t just be interested again. But what if, say, you and Danny are a little freaked out after what happened? And I offered to help you two? It would give us a reason to hang out and my parents won’t question it.”

“They might even encourage it,” Lydia said, humming in agreement. “This is surprisingly well thought out, Allison.” She opened her phone again. “I like this.”

Allison grinned and gathered the rest of her things while Lydia called Danny to convince him to come out with them.

***

Stiles rolled over, ducking his head under Derek’s chin so his face pressed into Derek’s neck. His finger kept tracing over where the alpha had cut Derek’s chest, and even though it had long since healed Stiles still felt like he could see it. They had been like this almost all weekend, curled up together, coming down from everything that had happened Friday night while they worked out what to do with the alpha. Their original plan hadn’t worked the way they wanted it to, and Stiles was sure they wouldn’t be able to pull that kind of stunt off again, so they needed a backup, a whole new perspective.

Their planning was made easier by his dad working overtime now that the police had confirmation of who the first victim was. The blood tests were supposed to come back sometime next week, but his dad was already chasing leads that were hopefully not stone cold yet. It felt good that part of it was out in the open, even if it was just a small part, not even a portion of the whole truth.

Derek had given his statement, but they needed to stay low. When he had come back from the station he told Stiles he’d been followed, and that one of the hunters was checking out the police station. No doubt the news of Laura’s death would get back to the Argents soon, and then they’d have new issues to deal with. They’d ridden out the hunters’ assumption of Laura being the alpha for a lot longer than they had thought they could have gotten away with.

Stiles let out a breath and pressed closer to Derek, hands going to his waist so he had something to hold on to. He felt Derek shift and their feet tangled together for a moment before Derek threw a leg over Stiles’ hip, tucking their bodies tight together.

“Your phone is going off again,” Derek mumbled into his hair.

“Probably just Lydia. Or Scott. Maybe both,” Stiles said, mouthing along Derek’s neck. He didn’t want to talk to anyone else. Lydia had sent a one line text saying she was sorry things had ended between Danny and him before everything else had been questions about werewolf lore.

His favourite question so far had been _do you have a knot?_ because apparently Lydia had no shame. That one had been the reason Stiles had passed off the duty of answering his phone to Derek. He was good at one word answers.

Derek shifted, pulling away from him and Stiles dug his fingers into Derek’s shirt, keeping him from leaving. Derek looked down at him with a fond expression, and Stiles relaxed. “I’m just looking to see what they said. It could be your dad.”

Stiles sighed but let Derek grab his phone from the bedside table. He waited patiently for Derek to rearrange himself so they were back in a similar position, but one that would allow Derek to read and respond to the texts.

“Allison says she’s coming over.”

Stiles’ eyes popped open and he looked from Derek to the phone. “What?”

Derek turned the phone so Stiles could see the text, and yup, that’s what it said. With a smiley emoticon. Stiles sometimes couldn’t handle Allison.

“Fuck,” Stiles said, pressing his face into the pillow. “Tell her no.”

He heard the phone buzz again. “She says she’s bringing everyone.” Another buzz. “And that since Scott has a key he’ll let them all in if you don’t answer the door.”

Stiles looked at Derek and he seemed almost too amused by the entire prospect. He grabbed his phone from Derek and flopped to his back.

_You should know not to just invade a werewolf’s den, Lady Argent._

He heard Derek snort against his neck, and Stiles shifted with Derek so that way Derek could be the one curled up around him for a change. He waited for another text, keeping one ear on the front door for the group of them.

 _You’re so cute!!!_ Allison’s text read.

Stiles blew out a breath. “Someone is rather well adjusted to this whole thing.”

He felt Derek nod against his neck, and he shivered a little when he felt lips on his pulse point. He tilted his head to the side, letting Derek have more skin to mouth along.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Derek asked. Teeth scraped against his neck as Derek spoke and Stiles shivered again.

He dropped his phone back to the bedside table because obviously this was happening whether he wanted it to or not. “I guess? It’s just weird. First Lydia dives right into research, and I mean super accurate research, and now Allison is showing up? And making jokes?”

Derek shrugged. “Maybe we should have told them earlier?”

Stiles let out a fake laugh, because yeah that would have gone over well, and he heard the front door opening. He could smell Scott, Lydia and Allison, and, after a moment, Danny as well. Derek’s hands on his hips tightened and Stiles gasped as he felt a quick bite on his shoulder. Derek’s tongue licked over the bite like he was apologizing, and Stiles could feel it already healing over even as he gave Derek a questioning look.

“Do you want me to tell Scott to send Danny away?” Derek asked, pushing himself into a sitting position as people came up the stairs.

Stiles rolled over, sitting up as well. “No. It’s. I told him he couldn’t cut us out so I can’t do it, either.”

Derek placed a hand on his shoulder, the same one he had just bitten, and his thumb traced over Stiles’ collarbone. “I’m here for you.” It didn’t sound as awkward as Stiles had imagined it would. It was sincere, and Stiles turned, fitting himself in Derek’s lap as he hugged him.

“I’ll be okay.” Derek bit him gently on the neck this time, and Stiles hit his shoulder. “Stop it,” he said lightly, climbing off of Derek so the others wouldn’t see them like that. He wasn’t embarrassed but it would probably be too much to explain to everyone else. He needed that closeness. He needed Derek, had since he had gotten bitten but even more now.

The door to his room opened just as Stiles dropped to the floor and he looked up at the four of his friends with wide eyes.

“Hey,” he said awkwardly, waving.

The four of them shuffled into the room, and it took a moment for everyone to find a spot to sit. Lydia took the computer chair, while Scott and Allison sat down with their backs against Stiles’ dresser. Danny was against the door, eyes flicking up to Derek before he dropped his gaze to his hands. Stiles wished he could go over there and comfort him, but he wouldn’t know where to begin. He knew why they couldn’t be together. It was dangerous, but that didn’t mean Stiles didn’t want Danny as his friend. They had a great time together, the sex aside. They had things in common, and Danny got references that Scott would never get. That Derek would never get.

Stiles felt Derek rearrange himself on the bed, framing his legs around Stiles’ shoulders and boxing him in. Stiles leaned his head on Derek’s upper thigh and took a moment to just feel Derek’s hands in his hair.

“So now that the shock of everything has pretty much left people, do you want to fill us all in?” Lydia asked, her voice cutting through the silence.

He opened his eyes and avoided looking at Danny. “I don’t really know what to say. You seemed to have your own research.”

“Which you’ve barely begun to verify. And honestly, if your alpha looks like that, is that _insane_ , why are you taking days off and doing nothing?” Lydia snapped. “You should have put it down months ago.”

Stiles tensed up. “We’ve been trying. This was the first time we’ve even really seen the alpha, let alone been able to fight it.” He knew he was sounding defensive but he didn’t care. They didn’t understand how frustrating it had been. “The alpha has had us on a wild goose chase since the beginning. It may be insane but it’s still clever. It’s still capable of playing with us. It’s not some mindless thing. It has an agenda.”

“It wants you in its pack,” Danny spoke up, and Stiles tried so hard not to look at him. “Both of you. And that’s why it went after me, because I was a loose end and it thought I was holding you back.”

Stiles swallowed and he squeezed Derek’s thigh because he couldn’t answer that.

“That’s the theory we are going off of,” Derek said, fingers tracing down to Stiles’ neck in a calming pattern. “You said you got a text from Stiles?”

“Yeah. But,” Danny cut himself off. “Stiles didn’t send it, did he?”

Stiles shook his head. “No. I didn’t. Too busy running for my life.” He risked a glance at Danny when he heard him move.

“What’s up?” Lydia asked curiously as Danny walked over to her, reaching behind her to get at Stiles’ computer.

“If Stiles didn’t send the text that means someone else did,” Derek said tensely.

“The alpha,” Danny said with a nod, logging onto Stiles’ computer. “And if you give me a few minutes I can get you who exactly sent me that text message.”

“You can do that?” Scott asked, getting up so he could watch Danny work.

Stiles stayed where he was, because it wasn’t like he had much of an option. Derek was keeping a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to stay seated.

“Danny is very talented,” Lydia confirmed, spinning in the computer chair.

Allison let out a low whistle. “So you can just? What? Find out who sent this and then we have the alpha?”

“In theory,” Danny said. “At least we’ll know where the alpha sent the text from, which means we’ll have some idea where it’s staying when it’s in human form.”

“Alphas have human forms?” Scott asked.

Stiles couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Yes Scott, alphas are the same as any other werewolf. It can blend in as a human just like any of us. If it couldn’t how do you think it’s been able to avoid us?”

Scott looked at him apologetically. “I don’t know. I just thought you guys really sucked at tracking.”

Stiles heard everyone else smother their laughter and he rolled his eyes. “Haha, very funny.”

“Got it,” Danny interrupted, leaning back so everyone could see the work.

Derek and Stiles stood up and pushed aside Allison and Scott so they could see the screen.

“What?” Stiles said right as Scott pushed him aside to get back in front of the computer.

“What does that mean?” Scott demanded, pointing at the screen where it clearly said the text was sent from Melissa McCall’s hospital computer. “Stiles, why was the alpha using my mom’s work computer?”

Stiles looked at Derek for help but he couldn’t form words. “I don’t…”

“It probably means nothing,” Derek said, trying to placate Scott, but Stiles could hear his heartbeat skip.

“Bullshit,” Scott snapped. “If the alpha was going after Danny, what’s to stop it from going after me?”

“Scott,” Stiles tried again, but Derek cut him off.

“It’s probably just a taunt and nothing else. You don’t matter like Danny did.” Stiles winced because that was a harsh way to put it, but Derek kept going. “You wouldn’t be a hindrance to Stiles being pack. The alpha has no reason to bother with you.” He turned to Stiles then. “I’m going to the hospital.”

Stiles flipped into action, grabbing his coat from the chair. “Not without me.”

“Stiles,” Derek tried but Stiles glared at him.

“You and me, buddy. Do not fight me on this, Derek.”

“How do you even know you’ll find it there?” Allison asked as the two of them headed for the door.

“We don't,” Stiles said. “We’ll probably need to get footage from surveillance tapes and look over that.”

“Then you’ll need me,” Danny said, getting up.

“No!” Stiles and Derek said at the same time.

Danny glared at them. “You’ll be in a public place. It’s the middle of the afternoon. There is not going to be a giant brawl in the hospital. I will be _fine_. And you _will_ need me if you want to look at those tapes.”

Stiles bit his lip in frustration. “No Danny. You are not coming with us. The alpha already thinks you’re a threat and if you’re there-” his voice cut off.

Derek picked up for him. “No.” He said, pointing his finger in Danny’s face as if he were some puppy he could tell to stay.

Stiles was not surprised Danny just batted the hand down. “Don’t treat me like a child.”

“I’m treating you like a human,” Derek growled.

“Humans help in packs too.”

Stiles grabbed Derek’s hand before he could take a step towards Danny. He didn’t think anything would come of it, but the intimidation factor was not something they needed. Derek squeezed his hand back, but kept his eyes locked with Danny’s. “Pack members know when to listen, too,” he snapped.

Danny lowered his eyes for a moment, and even though he looked back up it was enough to calm Derek down. “Well, just know that your plan sucks and you need back up.”

“I have back up,” Derek said, nodding to Stiles.

Danny glanced at him, and then looked back at Derek. “I’m not reviewing those tapes with you two when you end up needing me.”

Stiles watched as Danny leaned against his desk and then he looked at everyone else. “We’ll text you once we have an update. You guys shouldn’t stay here.”

“We’ll move to my place,” Lydia said, standing up. “Allison was going to show us some archery.”

Stiles arched an eyebrow, but Derek was already moving towards the door. _Archery_ he mouthed at Allison and she waved at him as Derek pulled him out of the room.

“Have fun fighting the alpha!” Allison called.

“Think it’ll work?” Lydia asked.

There was a beat before Allison answered amidst laughing. “It would take a miracle. Goodbye!!”

Stiles appreciated the reference because it meant they would win.

***

They ran to the hospital, because Derek didn’t think either of them had the ability to drive at the moment. He could feel Stiles vibrating and he was sure he was almost exactly the same way. The hospital was still bustling with activity by the time they got there, and Derek grabbed Stiles by the shoulder, slowing down their pace so they wouldn’t draw attention to themselves.

Derek tucked his hands in his coat pocket, looking around the entryway for any sign of something being off. He could see Stiles sniffing discreetly, trying to find Scott’s mom no doubt.

“The alpha has never been here,” Stiles whispered and Derek nodded, heading down one of the hallways.

It was strange. The alpha had pretty much laid claim to the entire town, but the hospital was strangely empty of its scent. That didn’t sit well with Derek. He felt Stiles walking behind him and he wondered what image they presented to the rest of the hospital. No doubt that even when they found Scott’s mom she would have her own questions to ask about why they were there.

“I can’t find Ms. McCall,” Stiles said. “And I have no idea which computer could be hers.”

Derek took a sharp turn, heading towards the long-term care section of the hospital. “We’ll ask Jennifer.”

“Jennifer?” Stiles picked up his speed so he was walking alongside Derek instead of behind him. “Didn’t realize you were on first name terms with anyone here.”

Derek snorted, taking his hand out of his pocket to take hold of Stiles’ hand. “She’s the nurse that looks after my uncle. She’ll know where Scott’s mom is.”

“Your uncle?” Stiles asked, stopping mid-step and dropping Derek’s hand. “I didn’t know you had an uncle that was still alive.”

Derek stopped as well, looking back at Stiles. “What does it matter? He’s been in a coma since the fire.”

Stiles did that thing where he flailed his arms around and puffed out his face, before settling for an angry scowl. “Dude! You can’t just! There was a suspect here the entire time and you didn’t even _think_ to mention it to me?”

“A suspect? What do you mean a suspect, Stiles?” Derek asked, stepping closer to him, feeling anger starting to well up. He’d thought Stiles would understand why he couldn’t mention Peter, and he definitely had never thought Stiles would jump to such a ridiculous assumption. “He’s been mostly dead since the coma.”

Stiles flailed some more and Derek could smell the frustration rolling off him. “Mostly dead means he’s slightly alive, and slightly alive with the power to heal means going completely _insane in your own mind_ means perfect candidate for crazed alpha.”

“Now Stiles, I wouldn’t say I was crazed. That’s just mean.”

Derek and Stiles froze. Derek couldn’t smell anything different, and the hospital kept buzzing around them, people going about their own business, but it was like something was crushing down on him. He was in the presence of an alpha and it spoke with his uncle’s voice.

“Derek,” Stiles whispered, glancing over Derek’s shoulder.

He spun around, not caring what it looked like in the crowded hallway. He kept his eyes open, looking for his uncle, the alpha, his sister’s killer. There he was, leaning against a wall, casual as could be in street clothing.

Derek blinked. Peter’s face was completely healed, and it most certainly hadn’t been the last time Derek had seen him. Something must have shown in his expression because his uncle smiled and pointed nonchalantly to the right side of his face, and the unmarked skin.

“I was waiting for a more dramatic moment but you two are just not ones for drama are you?” His uncle didn’t look like he should. His eyes were different, cold and uncaring.

Derek felt Stiles grip his arm, and when he glanced at him he could see the golden eyes of the wolf. His head snapped back to his uncle, or at least, where he had been.

“Do come along, pups,” Peter’s voice called. “Don’t want to cause a scene in the middle of the hospital, do we?”

Derek swallowed and stalked after his uncle, bringing Stiles with him.

“Derek,” Stiles whispered, but he didn’t continue speaking just slipped his hand down Derek’s forearm so their fingers could intertwine, and when Derek looked back at him it was like his face was an open book. He looked terrified and it only took a moment to figure out why he wasn’t talking. He didn’t want Peter, the alpha, to know why he was afraid. No doubt he could sense it, but he couldn’t read Stiles’ mind and right now their secrets were all they had.

Derek knew why Stiles was afraid though. He’d always been scared of losing control, terrified that once he met the alpha he wouldn’t be able to go through with their plans. Instinct would kick in and it would be too much for him. He’d be driven to serve the alpha and it would end with Stiles hurting the people he loved.

Derek shook his head slightly as they walked out of the hospital, into the back parking lot where Peter was waiting for them. He wasn’t going to let Stiles lose himself. They were in this together and that was not changing. He had Stiles’ back the same way Stiles had his. This is how they worked, and how they would work once it was just them. Them and their pack.

Derek pushed the thought to the side. They couldn’t afford to be distracted by whatever was going to be between them, and he was pretty sure Stiles was on the same page.

He stopped in front of his uncle, keeping a tight hold on Stiles’ hand.

“You two are so precious,” Peter said, looking them up and down. “Working together and making my job so much easier.” Derek was impressed that Stiles didn’t answer, but to Derek that just showed how scared he was. Peter didn’t seem to care. “So you two have found me out. Or at least, I let you find me out. What led you here? What mistake did I make?”

“I doubt you made any mistake,” Stiles said, ducking his head. “We always thought we’d find you right when you wanted us to.”

Peter’s eyebrow rose in surprise and he tried to stare Derek down to see if Stiles was lying, but Derek had worked on his poker face for too long not to have it crack now. “Too true. I figured someone in your rag tag group could figure out how to trace that message. I’ll admit it was a little sloppy on my end, but, well. You have to do what’s best for pack.” He flashed a grin and took a step forward, and it was all Derek could do not to lash out.

But the plan had changed now, hadn’t it? He thought back to the conversations Stiles and he had had this weekend, wrapped up in the safety of Stiles’ bed. They weren’t capable of taking on the alpha so they needed to take a different approach. Appeal to the alpha’s weakness, his need for a pack.

He jumped a little when he felt Peter’s cool hand on his cheek. He hadn’t been expecting it, and the only thing that let him know he hadn’t lost face was the fact that Stiles had jumped too. Peter looked at them fondly.

“You two have changed your tune. Quite a difference from earlier when you were hell bent on killing me.” Derek watched as his thumb traced Stiles’ cheek slowly. Peter was no doubt trying to cement the bond between Stiles and him. He would need to if he wanted them to be pack. “Why’s that?” Peter tilted his head. “What game are you two trying to play now?”

Stiles licked his lips. “What does it matter? You’ll always win.”

Peter laughed at that, dropping his hands from their faces. “Look at that spunk. I guess I made the right choice picking you.” Before either of them could say anything else Peter had wormed his way in between the two of them, breaking the death grip Derek had been keeping on Stiles’ hand. “We are going to have so much fun, you two. I can just tell.”

***

Everyone was staring at them on Monday. Allison had assumed it would get out eventually, but from the looks she was getting she could only begin to imagine what story was going around. It didn’t matter in the end though, because when she sat down at lunch Lydia, Stiles and Danny all pretended like they couldn’t hear anything being said, and she knew at least Stiles was capable of hearing everything.

It gave her the strength to keep her back straight and ignore the whispers and looks and just focus on their group.

“So are you going to tell us what happened at the hospital or am I going to have to start with some torture?” Lydia asked Stiles as they all leaned in to the center of the table so no one would overhear them.

He frowned. “I really don’t want you guys involved in this.”

“Tough shit,” Danny said. “Did you find the alpha?”

Allison watched Stiles’ face contort before he finally gave in and nodded. “We did.”

“And?” Scott asked. “Who was it? They didn’t hurt my mom so I mean that’s good.”

Stiles closed his eyes in frustration. “Listen. You guys really shouldn’t be a part of this. Derek and I have this under control.”

“Uh, I beg to differ,” Lydia said, holding up Stiles’ phone.

Allison couldn’t stop herself from letting out a laugh at Stiles’ face as he checked his pockets to see if she really had swiped it. He stared at her. “How? When?”

“Chemistry class.” Lydia pursed her lips. “You think I would volunteer to be your lab partner for any old reason? I had ulterior motives, and some of those were to see how good you two were at hiding, and the answer is not at all.”

“Hey!” Stiles said, reaching across the table and snatching his phone back.

“I’m serious, Stiles,” Lydia said in a hushed whisper. “Do you need to save every text from Derek? Did you need to label him with his actual name? What do you think would happen if someone got a hold of your phone? You two _named_ the alpha in your texts this morning. Would you want the hunters to find out who he was?”

Allison looked from Lydia to Stiles, confused. “Wait. What’s wrong with the hunters finding out who the alpha is? That just means they’ll take him out right? That’s their job.”

Lydia gave Allison a look. “Because that’s not Stiles and Derek’s game plan, is it?”

Stiles slumped down in his seat, but he didn’t say anything.

Scott looked hurt. “Why did you tell Lydia your plan when I didn’t even know you had a plan? I’ve been with you since the beginning!”

“I _didn’t_ tell Lydia anything,” Stiles muttered. “She’s just got a big head and thinks just because she’s read some stupid texts she knows complex pack dynamics.”

Lydia snorted. “Oh please, it’s hardly complex. You only need to watch a pack of puppies for a few minutes to figure out how it works.” She looked at everyone else, and dropped her voice as she spoke. “Derek needs to be the one to kill the alpha. If he does that then he’ll become the alpha, and he and Stiles can establish themselves as a small pack, and if they don’t cause any problems, theoretically no hunters will bother them.” She shot Stiles a look for confirmation, which Stiles gave with a nod of his head.

Danny let out a low whistle. “That’s a little morbid.”

“It’s the only way,” Stiles muttered. “The alpha, he’s completely out of his mind. He _killed his own niece_ and has absolutely no remorse for it. He claims it was for the better, because at least that way he was able to heal. _He’s_ the one who committed the murders that have been happening, those animal attacks? He won’t tell us why, mostly because he doesn’t trust us.”

“I wonder why,” Lydia muttered. “I mean, you two have been trying to kill him. I’m surprised he’s even accepted you.”

“He needs them,” Danny reminded her. “An alpha needs a pack, just like betas do.”

Stiles pointed to Danny. “Exactly. And we’re playing nice. Or at least, as nice as we can. We somehow managed to talk our way into a situation where he thinks we’re going to be semi-cooperative now that we know who he is, as opposed to before when we had no idea who to answer to. Derek did some fast talking, brought up some old memories, and I guess the guy isn’t completely gone because he might even have softened a bit.”

“Derek knows the alpha?” Allison asked, mouth a little dry. She was a mix of emotions right now, adrenaline rushing through her veins at the talk of what was going on, and apprehension because she didn’t know where it would all lead.

Stiles nodded, looking at his lunch forlornly. “The alpha is his uncle. Peter. Hence the whole _he killed his niece_. Laura. Derek’s sister.”

Scott blew out a loud breath. “Talk about awkward family reunions.”

Stiles cracked a smile and punched Scott gently in the shoulder. “That’s my line, buddy.”

Scott rubbed his shoulder as he laughed. “I’m just saying.”

“So you think the alpha knows you two are plotting something?” Danny asked, looking at Stiles.

“Probably, but like you said. Nothing he can do. We all need each other. It’s the great circle of life.”

A silence fell over the table after that comment as they continued to at least try and eat their lunches. As lunch drew closer to ending Allison finally got up the nerve to ask the question she’d been wanting to ask.

“What happens after?” She tried to sound confident when she spoke but she wasn’t sure it came through. “After we win?” She looked at Stiles, who let out a big sigh.

“We’ve been trying not to think that far ahead,” Stiles finally said. “But it’ll definitely be better than this situation.”

The bell rang and Lydia stood up, giving everyone a short wave. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow,” she pointed a finger at Stiles. “Wipe your phone and tell Derek to do the same or else I’m coming and doing it for him.”

Stiles nodded absently as Allison arched an eyebrow. “Where are you two going?”

“Jackson is out of surgery and he might be conscious soon, so we’re heading down to the hospital in Sacramento to see him,” Danny reminded him.

“It’s also damage control,” Lydia said patiently, smiling at them sweetly. “If he wakes up and tries to say anything to expose you I’m going to smother him with a pillow until he learns better.”

Danny laughed and steered Lydia by the shoulders out of the cafeteria, leaving Allison with just Scott and Stiles. Scott watched them leave and then turned to the two of them. “I feel like Lydia has gotten scarier since finding out, or is that just me?”

Stiles slung his backpack over his shoulder. “If I had known she was this homicidal I would have gotten over my crush a long time ago.”

Allison covered her mouth with her hand. “I think she’s just finally getting comfortable enough with us to show who she really is. It’s a good sign!”

“Yeah sure,” Stiles muttered, giving the two of them a wave. “See you guys later.”

Allison shuffled her feet after him, grabbing Scott and placing a quick kiss on his cheek as she passed him, before hurrying up because she didn’t want to lose Stiles. “Hey, Stiles! Wait up.”

He turned to her with an impatient look on her face, waiting for Allison to catch up with him. “What’s up?”

She clasped her hands together in front her body as they started heading towards Stiles’ locker. “I had a question for you. A couple actually, but most of them can wait.” Stiles made a _go on_ gesture as he started to open his locker. “Well, I am planning on going into the woods to practice some archery today and I wanted to know if you thought it would be safe.”

Stiles gave her a look. “It should? The alpha shouldn’t bother you. Why are you practicing anyway? I didn’t know you did archery, and then Lydia mentioned it yesterday.”

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.” Allison took a deep breath. “It’s to help you guys.”

Stiles slammed his locker as the warning bell went off. “No.”

Allison’s face dropped. “Excuse me?”

“No. You aren’t getting more involved with this business, Allison.” He stalked off and Allison chased after him, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcing him to turn. She knew he was letting her do it, but it still meant he was willing to listen.

“I don’t just mean for the alpha, Stiles. I mean after, too. Think about how useful it would be to have someone with an in to hunters as a friend. An ally.”

The final bell for class rang and Stiles looked around the empty hallway in frustration. Allison wouldn’t let this conversation end though, and she grabbed him by the forearm, dragging him towards one of the lesser used hallways in the school so they could finish talking.

“Allison. Let go.” He shook his head free. “This conversation is over. You can go into the woods, and you’ll be safe, especially if you’re with Scott because he’s _pack_ and so if he’s within five miles of me I’ll know if something happens to him, but you can not get more involved with this.”

Allison laughed, because her other option was getting upset and she refused to get angry over this. “Stiles, I already am. And I just want to help. If I had known that night, and had a bow and arrow, I could have helped you and Derek.” She bit her lip in frustration. “Lydia and Danny are good for research, and Scott was the one who kept Jackson from serious harm, but I could have been fighting alongside you two, and we would have _won_.”

She watched a bunch of emotions play over Stiles’ face until he finally spoke. “The alpha is our fight, Allison.” Her shoulders dropped. “But, and I’ll need to talk Derek, after. You can help with things that come after, because then we’ll be a stronger pack and Derek and I will be able to protect you better.”

Allison let that sink in for a minute before she broke into a huge smile. It hadn’t been said in so many words, but she was sure that was an offer of an alliance. She’d read about those when she studied her family’s history, and they were normally shaky at best, but this was different. She wasn’t a hunter, just the kid of a hunter. They wouldn’t play by the same rules, and they would be better for it.

“Thank you,” she said, shuffling forward and wrapping Stiles in a hug.

He returned the hug until they heard a discreet cough. They broke the hug to see the vice principal standing right beside them. They both jumped and Allison saw Stiles looking for a way out.

“Get to class, you two.” He said shooing them off. “Of else I’m going to have to write you up.”

Allison let out a breath, and Stiles saluted before they both took off for their classrooms.

 

Her dad was cooking dinner by the time she got back from the woods. The last few days had been invigorating as she rediscovered her form. Monday her accuracy had been a little off, but by this afternoon every shot struck exactly where she was aiming for.

Even Derek had seemed impressed, and it had shown on his face. She knew she’d never wear Stiles down on his stance about her helping kill the alpha, but she might stand a chance with Derek.

“Hey daddy,” Allison called, heading up the stairs to change.

He stuck his head out of the kitchen, and whatever he was about to say was cut off by the look of surprise on his face. He recomposed himself quickly though. “Hey Allison, where were you?”

Allison shrugged, going for nonchalant. She had been planning for this moment all week. “Out in the woods,” she kept going even her father’s face tightened, “with my friends. I told Lydia about the archery and she wanted to see it for herself.” She gave her dad a huge smile. “She even tried to fire my practice bow today.” Which had been a failure of epic proportions, in all honesty.

Her father looked confused. “I see. Who were you with?”

“Just the normal group. Scott, Lydia, Danny and Stiles. Once Jackson recovers he might start coming along.” Allison was actually pretty sure Stiles would have a huge fit over Jackson getting involved with their werewolf business, but according to Lydia he didn’t remember anything so they could ease him in if they wanted to.

“You kids are aware there’s a murderer on the loose, right? So you shouldn’t be out in the woods so late.”

Allison waved the bow. “Hence weapon. And I mean, the boys are kinda capable of handling themselves, so really it just leaves Lydia, and she can scream with the best of them so we’ll be fine.”

Her father did not look amused. “I would really prefer it if you didn’t do that. At least until the killer is caught. Just for your own safety.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure we leave the woods before dark then.”

Her dad opened his mouth, and then shut it, obviously fighting with himself. “Try to stay out of the woods entirely. If you want to practice you can do it in the backyard. I’ll put up the targets and your friends can come over.”

Allison blanched. “Not really ideal, no offense dad.”

“I could always just ground you,” he reminded her and Allison gaped in shock until she saw him give her a smile. “I’m kidding. Mostly. Dinner will be ready soon, so clean up.”

Allison gripped the handle of her bow and continued up the stairs. She was almost positive he had bought the story.

***

Stiles was not looking forward to this full moon. Derek had offered to drive them out to the ocean so they could run around unhunted since the full moon fell on a weekend, but Lydia had shot that down the moment she had heard about it.

“The hunters are going to be on high alert,” she had said while they were out in the woods watching Allison being a complete animal with her bow and arrow. “They’ll notice if someone is missing.”

Danny had agreed with her, and then Allison had spoken up. “A lot of guys have been coming in and out of my dad’s office. I think they are bringing in other hunters for this weekend. I can snoop around if you want.” She had looked right at Derek when she said that, like she knew that Stiles would immediately tell her no. Derek on the other hand, had agreed, because having an in with hunters was a good thing.

Somehow the entire discussion turned into everyone but Stiles and Derek agreeing that they would spend the full moon together, and with Scott, Lydia, Allison and Danny putting their feet down it wasn’t like Stiles and Derek could really argue. Allison had brought up the idea that if her parents thought she was with the entire group, they wouldn’t think anyone was a beta.

“You’re all clinically insane,” Derek had declared as they walked back to their cars. “Leaving out the hunters, my uncle, the alpha? He’ll probably be watching and you guys being with us would be _flaunting_ your ties to us. It will only put you in danger.”

“Or maybe it will protect you,” Lydia had reasoned. “He’ll see you two aren’t alone and you have people to lean on.”

Derek had snorted. “No offense, but my uncle wouldn’t think much of humans taking his place even before the fire, much less now.”

“Who says we’re staying human after you become alpha?”

Stiles had sucked in a breath, because Derek and he had not talked that far ahead. Sure he had a list of pros and cons hidden away in a notebook, and one day he’d found neat handwriting in green ink marking up the page with agreements and disagreements, but they didn’t _talk_ about it.

“You’ll need three betas at least,” Lydia had continued like she hadn’t just stunned both of them, “and it’s better for you to pick from people you trust. Ones you know have your back.”

Derek had looked away from her. “We’ll talk about this after.”

Stiles was sure that Lydia wasn’t going to back down, and Derek and he would need to talk seriously about who they were going to pick to be their betas once this was all said and done.

But the more pressing matter was the fact that he was going to be spending the full moon with people other than Derek. He had known eventually that he would have enough control that he didn’t need to shift, Derek didn’t need it, but it felt too soon. He hadn’t even been a werewolf for six months, he was in no position to be around humans.

It was going to happen though. In about six hours his friends would be over to give him a cover during the full moon.

Stiles was preparing himself by spending the morning with his face buried in Derek’s neck. Since his dad wouldn’t be home Derek was going to be the only thing that would be there to link him to his humanity.

That and he enjoyed it, but Stiles tried not to think about that. He tried not to think about how much their relationship had shifted since the night at the school. They had been sleeping together for a few weeks now, but after the attack it felt different. It _was_ different and Stiles didn’t want to talk just in case he was reading it wrong.

He was pretty he wasn’t though. Stiles had done a lot of research on pack dynamics and while play biting was something that happened, play biting didn’t seem to include doing it while lying in bed for hours on end, hands practically up each other’s shirts.

“What’s with the biting?” Stiles asked as he felt Derek press his teeth against his shoulder.

Derek grunted in lieu of answering and Stiles shut his eyes. In the end it didn’t matter what answer Derek would have given, because Stiles knew anyway. He twisted so he could return the bites. Neither of them were biting too hard, and at points Stiles turned his bites into light sucking, leaving dark red marks for a few moments before they healed.

It just encouraged him to leave more, to try and make them last.

Derek rolled them so he could be on top and Stiles arched his hips so they fit against Derek’s. He was distantly aware of his cock getting hard as he started to rock against Derek, but it wasn’t registering fully. He was too focused on Derek biting harder and longer.

Derek’s hand dropped to Stiles’ waist, forcing him to move how Derek wanted. Stiles gasped into Derek’s shoulder and when he bit down next he knew he did it just a bit harder than he had intended. He tasted blood for a moment, and he licked the wound until it had healed over.

Stiles heard Derek moan, and he turned his head, pressing his cheek against Stiles’ as he picked up the rhythm of his hips.

Their panting filled up the room. Stiles could feel the wolf right at the surface but he didn’t need to push it back. Derek would be able to handle him. Derek wouldn’t mind if Stiles’ claws came out or if he shifted.

Hell, it might happen to Derek too, and Stiles was okay with that.

Stiles let out a whimper as he felt Derek’s hips stutter to a stop, but there was no scent of release that flooded the room. Stiles whined and tried to move his hips so Derek would start again. He was so close, his cock was aching in his pajama pants and it wouldn’t take much more for him to come.

Derek held his hips still.

“Someone’s at the door,” he whispered.

Stiles’ eyes popped open. “Are you fucking kidding me?” And as if to prove Derek right the doorbell rang. Stiles groaned, reaching for his phone so he could yell at whoever had shown up early. It was just past noon, no one should be here.

“It’s not one of them,” Derek said, holding Stiles’ arm.

Stiles looked at him for a moment, and then actually tried to calm himself down enough so that way he could smell more than just Derek and himself. It took a moment for him recognize the scent, and he only could make a guess because it smelled like Allison and man, which meant it could only really be one person.

Chris Argent rang the front door again and Stiles scrambled out of bed, because his jeep was in the driveway so it was obvious someone was home. He gave Derek a half thumbs up and decided to try for casual as he ran down the stairs. He had faced the alpha, he could handle one hunter. A hunter who probably wasn’t even after him.

He opened the door and pasted on his most teenagery smile. “Can I help you?” Chris’ face broke out into a slow smile, but he was taking too long to answer and Stiles knew he needed to get his act just right. “Are you looking for my dad? Cause he’s totally on shift until like, ever, but I can take a note. Or something. And have him get back to you?”

“There’s no need for that. I was looking for you, actually.”

Stiles blinked and he felt his heartbeat pick up. He heard Derek shift upstairs, probably listening to everything just to make sure Stiles was okay.

“Is everything okay?” He heard Derek whisper, and Stiles forced his heart to slow down so Derek would know he was alright.

“Oh. Me? Uh, what for? I’m totally not old enough to answer anything legally.”

Chris gave him a faint smile. “Sorry. I forgot we’ve never been introduced. I’m Mr. Argent, Allison’s father.”

Stiles let out a loud breath. “You are aware that I am not the one dating Allison so any condoms that you may or may not have found in Allison’s trash can, totally Scott’s fault, not mine.”

He closed his eyes in frustration because that was totally not what he had meant to say, but it got the desired reaction out of Chris, which was for him to drop the game face he had been wearing for something actually genuine.

“What? No. I’m here to talk to you about what happened last week.”

“Last week? Oh, you mean at the school?” Stiles patted the back of his head. “Wow, yeah. That was a crazy night. You are probably super pissed about that.”

“Well, that’s one way to put it. I’m trying to understand what happened. Allison didn’t really want to talk about it, and I was just curious what you thought had gone down. I’ve already spoken to your friends, Danny and Lydia. Scott, of course, I was going to talk ask later tonight when he came over for dinner.”

Stiles laughed awkwardly, leaning against the doorframe. “Awkward. You know I was just joking about that whole sex thing. I’m sure he and Allison have totally abstained.”

Chris didn’t look amused. “Could you just tell me a little about what went on? For my own peace of mind.”

Stiles shrugged. “Not really sure what to say. I mean. I told my dad everything. Had to.”

Chris nodded. “For the police statement about Derek Hale’s sister right?”

Stiles narrowed his eyes. He’d assumed the hunters knew about this, but he hadn’t expected Chris to show his hand. “I didn’t think that information had been released to the public.”

“What can I say? Concerned citizens can find out things.”

“So you admit to breaking into police records?” Stiles asked.

Chris at least had the smarts to look sheepish. “I merely asked around and got vague confirmation. So you’re close to Derek Hale?”

Stiles crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t think I want to answer these questions and there’s not a lot you can do to make me.”

“Stiles,” Chris said his name like he had been practicing. “That’s your name right?”

Stiles shrugged. “Is it? Dude, you’re the one who came here asking questions. I figured you’d know who you were asking.”

“Listen. I’m just concerned. My daughter was put in danger and I just want answers. No one has been able to give me any.”

Stiles arched an eyebrow. He was unimpressed. “Dude, there’s nothing to tell. We were locked in a classroom the whole time.”

“Why did Derek lock you in the classroom?”

“Uh, probably because there was a murderer on the loose and he has like, a brain the size of a walnut so he thought he could be a hero?”

Stiles was glad to see Chris’ face break for a moment at that description. “You’re friends with Derek, then?”

“You already asked that.”

“And you haven’t answered.”

Stiles huffed, and made a big show about shuffling his feet before he finally answered. “We’ve hung out a few times. You seem to be more interested in him, though, so why don’t you bother him?”

He watched Chris’ face, waiting for a sign that he was going to snap. Chris grinned tightly. “He never seems to be home.” Stiles snorted, unable to stop himself. “If you’d rather I talk to him maybe you could tell me where he is? Since you two are so close.”

Stiles held up his hands. “You keep saying we are close, but this is so not true.”

“Then why have you been helping him?”

Stiles took a deep breath and when he let it out he tried to sound like Chris was finally getting somewhere. “Derek and I kinda knew each other before he left. So I don’t know dude, just – he obviously didn’t have anyone and he needed help.”

He watched as Chris reacted to his lie, and it looked like it was working. Stiles smiled inwardly, this was it, make Chris think he was getting somewhere, that Stiles was cracking and giving away the truth.

“You did some pretty illegal things for someone who was just a friend.”

“I have a crush on him, okay?”

That seemed to trip Chris up. “You have a crush on him?”

“Oh my god why does this surprise anyone?” Stiles asked, because seriously, if neither of them were aware of the whole werewolf thing it would make sense. It had been what his dad had thought. “Yes, have you seen him? Of course I like him, is this a crime?”

Chris had the smarts enough to look sheepish, and Stiles was mildly surprised he was buying this. “I think in this state it is.”

“I have been made aware by my father, thanks.” Stiles leaned heavily against the doorframe. “Is there anything else you want to know, or is my hopeless crush on my friend enough to satisfy your parental needs?”

Chris shook his head and he was, wow, he was actually relaxed. He didn’t see Stiles as a threat. “No I’m, I’m sorry. I was just worried about what could have gone on. You do know it’s strange, hanging out with people older than you. It would have a lot of people curious about what was going on.”

Stiles shrugged a little. “Yeah, well. Not like anything will come of it, so. Let’s just not talk about this.”

Chris nodded and stuck his hand out, before he realized that probably wasn’t a good idea and dropped it. “It was nice talking to you, Stiles.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Stiles muttered, and gave a jaunty wave as Chris stepped away from the house. He waited until Chris was in his car before he backed up and shut the door.

Derek was at the bottom of the stairs, face white in fear, when Stiles turned around and it only took a beat before Stiles was wrapped up in his arms again.

“I’m fine,” Stiles assured him, but Derek’s heart was still pounding and Stiles didn’t know how to calm him down except to keep holding him until he felt better.

Derek lifted his head from Stiles’ shoulder after a moment and kissed him on the lips briefly. “Do you think he bought it?” Derek asked.

Stiles blinked, a little dazed from the unexpected kiss, but then he nodded. “Yeah. I think. At the end he seemed a little thrown.”

Derek was still shaking a little, but his heart wasn’t racing anymore. He kissed Stiles again, and this time Stiles was expecting it so he was able to respond instead of just receiving.

“We’re going to be fine,” Stiles reminded him. “Now I need to send Allison a text telling her we conquered her father, and then we are going back to bed, okay?”

Derek didn’t looked pale anymore and it made Stiles feel better. He didn’t like Derek worrying about him, there had been enough of that already. Stiles leaned over for one more kiss before they headed upstairs.

***

Derek woke up in bed alone. Stiles’ side, if you could really call it that, was cool, but it still smelled like him. Like them. It was strange how comforting that had become, except maybe it shouldn’t have been. They were moving faster than Derek had wanted to. He’d planned on them establishing the pack first before they focused on what they want, but it wasn’t bad. They were adults. They were allowed to choose this, and their pack would be stronger for it.

He mushed his face in the pillow, taking a deep breath. The weekend had not been the relaxing time they had hoped. Allison had come over early after hearing her father was interrogating her friends, and apparently she had made a big deal about it, throwing it in his face about who she was seeing. Derek hadn’t thought it was the smartest move, but later that night when the group of teens had returned from parading a human Stiles around downtown they had been pleased to announce that there had been three separate hunters looking at them.

Then Derek had been the one to go out, and had immediately picked up a tail after visiting his old apartment. He let the tail stay on him for a while before he thought he had proven he was officially alone. Then he had headed back home, and back to bed with Stiles.

Sunday had been no better. Peter had called them early in the morning and they’d had to run almost fifty miles before he let them catch him. It had seemed pointless, but he called it pack bonding.

“Not that you two seem to need it,” he’d said with a smirk.

Derek was about to roll out of bed and shower when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He froze. He had learned the tread of the sheriff’s steps in the month he had been hiding at Stiles’ house. He listened for a moment, trying to judge where the sheriff was going before he moved anywhere. The sheriff had been pretty good about not entering Stiles’ room, and most days Derek could hide out in Stiles’ room while he was at school without fear of being caught.

He still let out a sigh of relief when the sheriff carried right on past the door. Derek waited a few more minutes, but it sounded like the sheriff was here for good today. Which meant he wouldn’t be able to shower.

Derek got up anyway, and got dressed before he leapt out of window.

 

He was eighty miles out of Beacon Hills when Stiles called.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” he asked as he compared two different canned soups, trying to see which one had less sodium so Stiles’ dad could eat it.

“I got kicked out.”

Derek put the soup down. “Why?”

“Hell if I know. I walked in, Harris took one look at me and was all _be gone_. I think my dad spoke to him last night. Anyway, now I’m sitting in in-school suspension, and Senora Barton didn’t really care cause she loves me, so she just left me here unsupervised.” Derek shook his head, finally settling on a soup and putting it in his cart. “So what are you doing? I think my dad is off this morning, especially if he was chasing leads all night.”

“Grocery shopping.”

“In town?”

Derek rolled his eyes, though it didn’t benefit anyone. “No, do I look stupid? I’m up near Redding and some town had a knock off Safeway so I figured it’s as good as any.”

“Oh okay.” Derek kept pushing his cart down the aisle while he listened to Stiles breathe.

He was in the cereal aisle when Stiles finally spoke again. “Are we going to talk about this thing?”

“Do we need to?”

He could hear Stiles lick his lips through the phone. “I’m just worried this is going too fast. I know you’re like super anti-relationship.”

Derek pushed back the thought of Kate. There was no reason to mention that ever. It was in the past, and he had moved on. “It’s fine Stiles. This. This is okay.”

“Okay,” Stiles whispered back. “That’s good.”

“Yes. Now do you want Honey Bunches of Oats with strawberries or peaches?”

“Strawberries,” Stiles said immediately and Derek grabbed the box and put it in the cart. Derek heard him about to speak when there was a commotion in the background, which culminated in Stiles going “Lydia! What are you doing here?”

Derek heard Lydia’s response over the phone. “The lab was boring, and as adorable as Scott and Allison are, working with them makes me want to stab myself with my pen, so I lit Harris’ tie on fire.”

Derek face palmed, even as Stiles and Lydia continued talking. “No way! I didn’t even know we were using bunsen burners. Man, I miss all the cool labs.”

“Relax,” Lydia said. “We weren’t. I just made fire.”

That didn’t surprise Derek and he continued to listen as he reached to the top shelf for a little old lady.

“You terrify me sometimes.”

“As I should. Now is that Derek? I want to talk to him.”

Derek could hear a brief scuffle over the phone, and Stiles complaining as Lydia apparently stepped on his foot.

“Derek?” Lydia asked and Derek grabbed some milk as he grunted. “This is your daily reminder that you need to erase your phone history.”

“Is this why you skipped class?” Derek asked.

“I don’t know how long it’s been since _you_ took chemistry, but I can guarantee they have not updated since at least our parents were in school because this is so unbelievably boring.”

“I highly doubt it. And maybe you should actually pay attention so that this way when you try to make me an explosive it actually explodes.”

Lydia huffed over the phone as Stiles let out a triumphant laugh. “I blame Jackson, speaking of!” Derek heard a distant thud. “Jackson is coming home on Wednesday. We need to figure out if we’re telling him or not.”

“No,” Stiles said firmly, and Derek had to agree. The group that was involved was enough.

He heard Lydia sniff. “Fine. Danny and I will think up something.”

Derek listened as Stiles’ phone traded hands and Stiles came back on the line. “Sorry about that.”

Derek grunted in response, grabbing bread before heading to the checkout. “Is there anything else you think we need?”

“Did you buy all the green vegetables?”

Derek took a look at the cart, spotting the lettuce and a few other greens. “Enough.”

“How domestic,” Lydia muttered in the background. “Don’t forget to wipe your phone!” She called.

Derek rolled his eyes. “I’ll see you at home, okay, Stiles?”

“Yup, have a safe drive back,” Stiles said before hanging up. Derek looked down at the call log before going into his settings and deleting his call record the way Danny had shown him.

Derek didn’t mind Danny now that he and Stiles weren’t together, though it was obvious that the boy had issues with him. He was getting over it. Maybe Allison had been onto something when she had cheerfully announced that the truth had brought them all closer together. Derek had initially worried about tension between Danny and Stiles, but they were doing okay. Better than anyone had expected.

Derek packed the groceries in his car and glanced at the time on his phone. He had a few hours to get back home, but it probably hadn’t been the smartest move to buy milk when he had a long trip back, but hopefully it wouldn’t expire in the hour and a half it would take him to get home.

He took the interstate as far as he could before he got off and started on the back roads. About fifteen miles out of town Derek had turned on his CD player and was listening to that stupid CD Stiles had put in his car as a joke, but Derek had never removed because he ended up liking it.

He was even singing along to the lyrics, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel while the lead singer purred about how she got off on you, getting off on her. He was in a good mood, the day was looking up. And of course that’s right when the pickup with a snowplow attachment slammed into the side of his car.

Derek felt himself lose control of the car as it flipped into the woods. It rolled over three times, the car denting around him with each spin and Derek’s arms shot out as he tried to stop himself from going with it. The groceries were a lost cause, the milk exploding around him, but the seatbelt did its job and kept him safe, even though he heard his arm snap.

He howled in pain.

The car stopped when it crashed against a tree. All in all it must have been thirty seconds at most, but Derek felt like he had been spinning for longer. The car was upside down and even though he knew it would suck he had to undo his seatbelt so he could get out and see what dumbass hit him.

He managed to get his seatbelt undone and he slumped against the roof. He whimpered when he tried to move his arm, but he knew it would only be a few minutes before it healed. He should probably make sure it was set correctly, or else it would heal wonky.

His senses were in overdrive and he felt himself wolf out. He tried to pull it back because whoever hit him probably see that. Derek heard footsteps coming to the car, but he wasn’t sharp enough to know how many people were coming to his rescue.

“Get that door open,” a sharp feminine voice ordered. Derek whimpered again. Kate’s voice. “He won’t be dead but a wounded werewolf is still dangerous.”

Derek let his instincts take over because now he knew this wasn’t an accident. He could fight. He should fight.

He tensed up, ready to lunge, broken arm and all, when the door was pried open.

He got pushed back.

They had been prepared for him and electricity shot through his body.

Derek collapsed back against the other door, and blacked out.


	9. Episode 9: Like the lost catacombs of Egypt (only god knows where you're stuck)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .________________. I WILL CONQUER YOU DEADLINES!!!! Also \o/// only three chapters left.

The first thing Stiles noticed when he sat down at lunch was that Allison couldn’t look Lydia in the face. Actually, no one at their table could. Even Danny, who normally seemed so immune to her antics, was having a hard time doing it without breaking into a smile.

Lydia, for her part, couldn’t seem to care less, and she opened up her history book so she could go over the homework. It wasn’t until she was halfway through checking over her answers that she looked up and met everyone’s eyes. “What?” Danny snorted as Allison and Scott made quick work of looking _not interested_. “Oh please, it wasn’t that big of a fire.”

Stiles rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone to see if Derek had texted him. “I’m pretty sure if it had been anything spectacular Harris would have kicked you out instead of just sent you to in-school.”

Lydia sniffed and hit his hand, knocking his cell phone onto the table. “Stop checking your phone. Your boyfriend is driving home so he shouldn’t even be texting. I don’t care about your super special reflex powers.”

Stiles couldn’t stop the blush that rose up on his cheeks and he tucked his phone away. Derek and he hadn’t announced anything, but with the way they had acted during the full moon while everyone was over, they didn’t really need to say anything. He glanced at Danny, but then looked away. A part of him felt like he shouldn’t be moving on, that he should still be torn up, or at least, try to be alone, because Danny was alone. They hadn’t ended their relationship because of a lack of attraction; it was for Danny’s protection, but by him moving on to Derek, it cheapened that reason.

But the other part of Stiles, the louder part, thought everything was okay. There was nothing wrong with moving on, and it wasn’t like he was picking someone new. It was Derek, and he’d been with him through a lot. Derek protected him, and he protected Derek. There was a balance there, a give and take that Stiles couldn’t have with anyone else.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Stiles muttered, but he knew he had waited too long to respond, and the conversation had already moved on.

“So Jackson is getting out of the hospital today,” Danny was saying.

Lydia perked up. “They say he should be back in school this week, too.”

Danny coughed over his laugh. “Yeah, if he works up the nerve to come in.” He looked amused as he leaned over to whisper to Allison. “He still has some bruising from the surgery and he doesn’t want to come back until it’s gone.”

Lydia waved her hand, shutting her book. “If Joey Donner can manage then I’m sure Jackson can.”

Allison giggled as Danny looked patiently at Lydia. “I’m going to pretend we all get that reference and assume it was something vaguely sympathetic.” Allison and Lydia shared a look and another giggle. Danny sighed. “I’m just bringing it up because I wasn’t sure if we had decided or not. Are we telling Jackson?”

Stiles felt Lydia go still next to him, and he looked at her. She was worrying her bottom lip in thought. Stiles wasn’t sure why that was, but he knew his position. “No. He has no reason to know.”

Danny leveled Stiles with a cool look. “I think he does since he was there.”

Stiles shook his head. “So? He doesn't remember, and I want to keep it that way.”

“Why? Because you don’t like him?”

“Exactly. Jackson knowing would cause more trouble than it’s worth. For all we know he’d have no problem going to the hunters if I pissed him off.”

“He wouldn’t do that,” Danny argued, looking frustrated.

Stiles took a deep breath. He didn’t want to fight Danny on this, especially when their relationship was rocky at best. “I don’t trust him, so he’s not finding out.”

Danny’s face turned sour. “He’s not the bad guy here, Stiles.”

“I never said he was!” Stiles hissed, ducking his head so his voice wouldn’t get too loud. “He’s selfish though, and the werewolf thing only benefits him one way, and I _refuse_ to let him get the bite.” Stiles was close to slamming his fist on the table, but he pulled it back. He wasn’t mad at Danny. Danny was just trying to stick up for his friend. Stiles just needed to keep reminding himself of that.

“But it’s just fine that Lydia’s already plotting where she falls in pack hierarchy? That’s bullshit,” Danny turned his attention to Lydia, “and you know it. Jackson only ever does what’s expected of him. He never wants to disappoint us, and by hiding this from him? Us automatically assuming he’ll run off? That will make him do just that.” Danny stood up quickly, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “You guys can lie to him all you want, but if he asks me – if he figures out something is up? I’m telling him.”

“Danny wait!” Stiles called as Danny grabbed his tray and left.

Lydia put her hand on Stiles’ shoulder to keep him seated and she stood up, following after Danny. Stiles watched as she grabbed Danny’s bicep, guiding him out of the lunchroom as she whispered angrily at him.

“I thought we had already talked about this,” she was saying, and Stiles almost felt bad for listening in.

There was a brief struggle, Danny snatching his arm from Lydia’s grip before she latched back on.

“We did, but I can change my mind,” Danny argued back.

“Not about this you can’t.”

The roar of the cafeteria got too be too much as Danny and Lydia left and Stiles couldn’t stay focused on their conversation. He came back to the table, where Allison and Scott were looking at him, both nervous.

“For what it’s worth, I agree with you, dude,” Scott said. “Jackson shouldn’t know. He’ll just cause problems.”

Stiles gave a weak smile. “Thanks. It means a lot.”

 

  
Stiles’ dad was in the kitchen when he got home, files spread out all over the table. He had a take out carton from the Chinese food place in town and when Stiles went over he saw it was empty. His dad was engrossed in his reading and Stiles sighed, taking the carton and throwing it out before going to the refrigerator to pour himself a glass of milk.

The fridge was empty.

Which made sense. Derek had gone to buy groceries and if his dad had been home all day there wasn’t any way for Derek to bring them in.

“Yeah, we’re all out,” his dad called and Stiles spun around to look at him. His dad looked sheepish. “I meant to go out and get some more groceries, but the case,” he waved to the stack of papers.

Stiles shut the fridge and smiled at his dad. “It’s alright. I thought I still had some milk left. I’ll go out later.”

His dad stretched and closed the manila folder he was reading. “No need. Let’s go out now.” Stiles’ mouth dropped open in surprise. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. Makes me think I never help grocery shop.”

Stiles closed his mouth. “No! No, it’s not that. It’s just…” he didn’t know how he could say groceries had been bought, they were just probably waiting in the back of Derek’s car to be brought in. Stiles watched his dad give him a sly look and Stiles sighed. “Lemme go put my bag upstairs and I’ll come with you. Otherwise you might find out that what I’ve been passing off as whole milk is actually soy.”

His dad’s laugh followed him upstairs and Sitles flung open his bedroom door. His room still smelled like Derek and he took a moment to breathe it in. He had gotten used to Derek being out of range at some point during his training, realizing he couldn’t constantly monitor everyone, but it was still hard when he couldn’t feel his pack mate immediately.

He grabbed a notebook and a bright green highlighter, hoping it would catch Derek’s attention when he got home. He left a note saying he was going out, and to try and hide the groceries some place so his dad wouldn’t notice them right away.

Stiles frowned at the feeling like he should add more, but wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Stiles! Come on!” His dad called from downstairs.

Stiles tacked on a crudely drawn wolf paw, figuring that Derek would get a kick out of it, but he ran down after his dad. “Come on father-mine,” Stiles said grabbing his jacket. “Let’s see you shop like an adult.”

His dad sighed to cover up a laugh and he grabbed his own jacket.

 

  
Derek wasn’t home when they got back. Stiles had kept an ear out for him during the trip to the grocery store, waiting for that moment Derek got back in range, but there’d been nothing. His fingers itched to text Derek and see where he was, but Lydia’s stern reminder played in the back of his mind and he resisted the urge.

Instead Stiles did homework, and then moved onto research. His dad hadn’t given him too many details on the case, but he had confirmed that he’d spoken with Mr. Harris for reasons _undisclosed_.

Stiles debated exactly how unethical it would be to sneak down after his dad had gone to bed and go over the files, but it was mostly to distract himself from the lack of Derek.

Around midnight Stiles started to fidget even more, stomach knotting up because Derek still wasn’t back. He wasn’t even pinging on Stiles’ radar, and that wasn’t normal.

Stiles distracted himself by signing onto his WoW account for the first time in a while, reuniting with a few of his friends online, and playing through a few quests. It didn’t do much to stop his senses from trying to reach out and find Derek though, and after an hour Stiles had to sign off because he was too distracted to do any good.

He climbed into bed, burying his face in their pillows, the combined scent calming him.

There was no reason to panic. The alpha was crazy but he needed them, and the hunters were dangerous, but tied by their code.

Stiles rolled around his bed, trying to get comfortable without Derek’s arms wrapped around him. His bed had never been large, but he felt like he had too much room after spending a month sharing with Derek.

He stripped off his shirt after a moment of debating the pros and cons. If Derek came in while he was sleeping wouldn’t it be a nice way to come to bed? Stiles thought so at least. He debated with his pajama pants, and in a fit of confidence he pushed them down, kicking the pants off and onto the floor. Stiles pulled the sheet over himself.

He still wasn’t comfortable, and he didn’t want to look at the clock; it would just make him antsy. He wanted Derek home, and he was going to tell him as much tomorrow when Derek finally showed back up.

Stiles bit his thumb, not even realizing he had put it in his mouth, the nervous habit to bite the skin around his thumb kicking in without his permission. He pulled it out in frustration, trying to even out his breathing so he could go to sleep. He knew he didn’t need it, but he liked it. It was a human thing he could indulge in.

Stiles shut his eyes, forcing his hands down his hips so they were as far away from his mouth as possible. It didn’t matter that the skin could heal over, he shouldn’t be indulging in his nervous habits anyway. Because there was no reason to be nervous.

He rolled over and wrapped his arms around Derek’s pillow, trying to focus on that. He’d always liked how Derek had smelled, even before he’d realized he was attracted to him. It was one of those things that Stiles had blamed on the wolf. It smelled like home and safety in a way even his father couldn’t master, and after taking a few deep, calming breaths, Stiles realized he didn’t want his dad to smell like this.

It would just give him bad touch feelings, because this smell? It also turned him on, because it was Derek, and that was enough for his body apparently.

Stiles pressed his hips against the bed, feeling himself getting hard. He twisted his head so he was breathing only in the pillow, and it took a moment before he decided, fuck it, it was Derek’s own fault if he left for the night and came back and Stiles had been jacking off. It was one of those things they hadn’t talked about when they started living together, what with the super hearing and scent. Stiles was always distantly aware when Derek had come back from the shower and jerked off, but they just didn’t talk about it.

It was different now though, wasn’t it? They were _together_ so it wouldn’t be too weird if Stiles did it in their bed. If he did it with Derek in mind. Hell, Derek might even like knowing it had happened, and when he got back tomorrow, either before, or after Stiles had gone to school, he would come in and smell it, and yeah…

It would be okay.

Stiles shoved his hand in his boxers to wrap around his cock, his face still pushed into Derek’s pillow. He didn’t need it to give him any ideas, to make his mind race with thoughts of Derek and him, but it was nice to have. Comforting.

Stiles thrust into his hand, panting loudly. He was going to get off quickly, but he needed that. His body was wound tight with nerves, and he tried to focus on the idea of Derek, what he would say if he saw Stiles like this.

Would he keep watching?

Would he interrupt?

Stiles liked to imagine he would interrupt, try to get in on the action, because deep down they were both needy people. They liked to be touched, and liked touching each other.

His stuck two of his other fingers in his mouth, pretending it was Derek. He had felt his cock once or twice, the hazards of sleeping curled up against one another, and at the time they hadn’t mentioned it, but now Stiles was trying to remember how it felt. Hard pressure against his hip, and Stiles was sure if he remembered just right, he could feel Derek rotating his hips just a bit, trying to get a little friction to relieve the ache.

Stiles felt himself getting close, and his knot was starting to grow, but this time Stiles let it happen, because there was no reason to hide it. Derek knew, and Derek had one too, so it wouldn’t be weird. It was just a part of him.

Stiles fucked his hand faster, trying to get his fingers to form a tighter hole as he sucked on his other fingers. His hips arched and Stiles made sure to tighten his fingers behind the knot so there was pressure. It made the orgasm feel that much more intense, and Stiles felt warm come hit his stomach.

He was sure there was some on the bed too, but suddenly he was lax, all the tension drained out of him.

He didn’t even feel that bad that he’d ruined Derek’s spot. It was what he got for being away for the night.

***

He woke up to ice and fire, and it took a moment to realize he was being hosed down. The water was cold, but the pressure of the hose made it burn hot against his flesh and Derek choked.

His arms were bound up and he could feel metal grates against his back as the pressure of the water pushed him as far back as he could go. His arm had healed the wrong way and that was going to be a bitch to fix. Derek was not looking forward to that.

The hose shut off, but it took a moment for him to be able to open his eyes, or hear, or smell.

He was underground, in a dark room. There was a lantern on a table, and Derek spotted his phone over there as well.

“Sorry about the bath, but you smelled like spoiled milk,” a voice – Kate – said.

Derek didn’t give her any reaction.

She didn’t seem to mind though, and she continued to talk. Derek drowned her out, because he wasn’t going to answer anyway. Nothing she did could make him.

***

He woke up to a cold bed. Stiles clutched Derek’s pillow to his chest and tried to push the worry down. Derek hadn’t gone a night without coming back to bed, but things happened. Stiles tried not to let his imagination run wild with crazy ideas as he reached over for a towel, cleaning himself off as best he could.

Derek might have run into another pack. He could have gotten lost. He could have just decided to spend the night at his own apartment. If he’d picked up a tail there was no way he would risk coming to see Stiles.

He tried to stay calm as he got dressed, and went downstairs. His dad was already at work and Stiles ate his toast slowly. He wasn’t going to freak out.

Even though Stiles couldn’t get any sense of Derek being anywhere in the town, and he knew this because he had taken the long way to school, driving to the borders of town to try and see if there was any place that he had missed.

He was trying not to be a wreck, but he knew he was doing a poor job. Scott had asked him what was wrong, and so had other people, some who rarely spoke to him. Stiles didn’t like this, and when he saw Derek later that day they were going to have a long talk about how Stiles was apparently co-dependent now and Derek would need to be in range forever because he was pretty sure he wasn’t getting over that.

Stiles made it to chemistry on autopilot, collapsing into his seat. He had no plans to get out his notebook, figuring that Harris would see this and send him out of the classroom, giving him a chance to call Derek and yell at him for making Stiles feel like this.

His plans were thwarted by Lydia taking her seat next to Stiles and pushing up his overshirt’s sleeve to reveal his forearm. Stiles raised his head to look at what she was doing as Harris started lecturing and Stiles frowned as Lydia pulled out a permanent marker and started drawing something on his arm.

“What are you doing?” Stiles whispered, watching as she finished coloring in what appeared to be a paw print.

“Testing a mixture I made up last night,” Lydia said, pointing to the bottle she had pulled out of her pocket. “If I got it right it should remove stains in one swipe.”

“But?” Stiles asked, because there was always a but.

“It may also take off half your skin!” She smiled as she dabbed a cotton ball with whatever she had made.

Stiles sighed, turning away so he wouldn’t have to see if he _skin got taken off_ , because what good was his healing factor if people didn’t abuse it? He grit his teeth as he felt the cotton ball touch his skin, and he finally looked when Lydia whispered, “oops.”

Yup, half his skin was gone, and that was actually really gross. Stiles shot Lydia a look, and he debated covering it up before it healed or not when the intercom came on.

“Mr. Harris. Can Stiles please come to the office?”

Stiles looked confused as Mr. Harris gave the affirmative, and he stood up, making sure to hide his healing arm from Mr. Harris.

Stiles jogged to the office and then stopped. His dad was there, with Deputy Miller, and Stiles had no idea why.

“Dad?” He tried for casual, not knowing how else to approach this.

“Stiles,” his dad said, looking up with a blank expression, before turning to the secretary, who nodded towards an empty office off to the side. “Come in. I have a few questions for you.”

Stiles’ nerves picked up, but he waited for Deputy Miller to shut the door before he spoke. “What’s up?”

“I-“ his dad started and then restarted, “we were just wondering if you had any contact information for Derek Hale’s next of kin.”

Stiles’ heart dropped. “What?”

“Derek’s next of kin.”

Stiles shook his head, and it took a lot to stop himself from saying that _he_ was Derek’s next of kin. “Why?”

He saw his dad and Miller trade looks before his dad spoke. “We found his car on the side of the road this morning a few miles outside of town. Looks like it got hit by something, and the car rolled off the road.” Stiles’ heart started pounding and he wanted to speak, but his mouth was dry and it felt like his tongue was swollen in his own mouth. “We can’t find him, and we have no record of next of kin to notify about the accident.” Stiles couldn’t breathe and he had to sit down. His dad kept talking. “I know you two were – friends. So if you can maybe remember, did he mention anyone? Any family?”

Stiles shook his head. “Nope. Just Laura.” It was all he could say, because his mind was racing, and he was getting too warm for his clothes. He was pretty sure he was having a panic attack, but he couldn’t remember the signs or what he was supposed to do.

Deputy Miller kneeled down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Stiles. We won’t ask any questions if you know anything. We just want to give his family a call to notify them of the accident.” Stiles could hear a cough from his father and Miller’s hand dropped from his shoulder.

“I don’t know anything,” Stiles finally managed to get out, but he wasn’t able to raise his head up from where he had stuck it between his knees.

He felt his dad’s hand on his shoulder, but it didn’t pull him back like it normally did. Stiles felt guilty because this was something he should have been able to feel, right? He should have known something had happened to Derek.

“Stiles?” His dad asked but Stiles just shook his head. He didn’t know how to talk to his dad. He knew he was overreacting to the news if the only story you knew was that he was just some dumb kid with a crush on Derek, and Stiles really hoped that’s the story his dad believed. “Stiles, you need to breathe.”

He tried to follow his dad’s instructions, and it took a few attempts before he felt himself coming back to reality.

“Are you okay?” His dad asked, and Stiles was finally able to lift his head up.

He gave his dad what he was sure was a watery smile and he tried to nod. “Yeah. No big deal. Just a little high strung. Derek- Derek was supposed to meet up with me yesterday and he never showed up, and I’ve spent all morning working out how I was going to react to each excuse and this was not what I was expecting at all.”

He saw Miller cover his mouth with his hand, and Stiles could understand why he was smiling. No one ever expected the worst, but really they should.

“How about you stay here for a few more minutes and get yourself put back together okay?” His dad asked, and Stiles nodded, sniffing, and he hadn’t realized he had started to cry during his attack.

He wiped his face as his dad and Miller left the room.

“It was worth a shot,” Miller said the moment the door was shut halfway.

His dad made a noise in the back of his throat, and Stiles could hear him rub his temple. “How are the guys working out getting the warrant to search his place for the information?”

“Boyd is pushing for it.” Miller paused, and Stiles could hear her radio go off. “We have the K-9 unit out looking for Hale. With the injuries he probably sustained he wouldn’t have gotten far. We’ll probably find him before nightfall.”

“Yeah well, that’s if he made it through one night.”

Stiles put his hands over his ears because he didn’t want to hear this. They were talking about Derek as if he were a human, and that wasn’t even close to the truth. A car crash couldn’t hurt him. That had even been one of the examples Derek had given the first time they had met. He said they could crash their car and walk out just fine.

Which meant it was something else, and that’s what worried Stiles so much.

 

  
Stiles took a heavy seat into the chair and Scott, Lydia and Allison looked over at him. He had skipped gym with his dad’s permission, taking a period in the office to try and recompose himself. It hadn’t worked that well from the way his friends were looking at him.

“What’s the matter?” Danny asked as he took a seat across from Stiles, looking at everyone.

They all looked at Stiles and he had to take a minute or else the words would come out wrong.

“Derek’s missing.”

Everyone was silent, and then everyone was talking all at once.

“What?” Allison’s voice went high pitched.

“Is that why you got called to the office?” Lydia asked.

“Are you sure?” Danny hissed, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Maybe he’s just taking a vacation?” Scott asked.

“No, he’s _gone_ , Scott,” Stiles said, focusing on the last person he heard. “The police found his car crashed on the side of the road outside of town, but there’s no sign of him.”

He felt Scott’s hand on his and he looked down to see he had started to grow claws. He curled in his hand into a fist as Lydia spoke.

“That doesn’t mean anything, Stiles. He could have gotten injured and went off on instinct.”

“If he were going off of instinct he would have come _home_ ,” Stiles said fiercely. “Back to my room. And he didn’t.” He dropped his head against the table, trying to calm himself down. “And I didn’t even notice. I mean, I knew he wasn’t in town, but I was trying so hard not to worry, because what could it be? Nothing, and then it turned out it was something and I don’t even know what.”

Someone else put their hand on his back, and it took a moment to realize it was Allison, her and Scott rubbing his back to calm him down.

“What can we do?” Danny asked, and Stiles took a deep breath, trying to think.

“Nothing. I’ll- after school I’m going to go look at the crash site. Try and track him.”

“We’re coming with you,” Lydia said immediately, glaring at Stiles when he tried to protest. “No. We are. Derek is your boyfriend, and you’re our friend, so it’s only natural.”

Stiles didn’t have it in him to protest, too worn out from working himself up into a worry.

 

  
Stiles parked almost a mile away from the crash because he could still hear police around the area. The four others stumbled after him, and he wondered again why he had brought them. He wouldn’t be able to get very close with all of them with him.

Stiles veered off the road, keeping low just inside the forest that was on the side of the road, and it only took a little bit for Lydia to let out a curse, her heel breaking.

“You guys didn’t need to come,” he muttered, not looking back because he could hear Danny taking care of Lydia, offering her a ride on his back. His senses were stretched as far as he could get them, looking for signs of Derek.

“Yes, we did,” Scott said, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “You’ve got us for a reason, and it’s what we’re for.”

Stiles didn’t relax as they got closer to the crash, and he stopped when he felt himself in range of the few cops still looking around. He looked at his friends. “I’m going over really quick, just to get a look and a sniff, and then I’ll be back. Stay here.” He tried to get a lot of authority in his voice but he wasn’t sure it transferred over.

Either way, no one moved in the few seconds it took him to run to the car and back, taking in as much detail as he could before he was seen.

The biggest thing he took in was that he couldn’t smell anything, and that disturbed him.

“Well?” Lydia asked from over Danny’s shoulder.

Stiles frowned. “I can’t smell anything.”

“Like there are too many scents because of the police?” Allison asked.

Stiles shook his head. “No. Like I literally can’t smell Derek. I know that’s his car, I’ve ridden in it enough I know exactly what it smells like, and now it just smells like car. Impersonal.”

“What could hide the smell of a werewolf?” Scott asked.

Stiles took a deep breath, trying to get a grasp on the wrongness he was smelling, but he couldn’t. “The alpha did it all the time,” he finally said, feeling himself get angry.

If this was a new game by Peter, some sort of training...

“You think he could be responsible for this?” Allison asked.

Stiles looked back off towards the crash. “The car is totaled, and it’s possible he crashed into the side of the car to run Derek off the road and make him weak for the time it would take to overpower him.”

“And what?” Allison asked. “What could he want with Derek? I thought he needed you guys.”

“He does. But he also wants to train me,” Stiles said, feeling himself wilt as it hit him that if the alpha had Derek there was almost nothing he could do. “And I don’t know who else could hide a werewolf’s scent.”

Lydia was frowning where she rested her head on Danny’s shoulder and she looked unconvinced, but she didn’t say anything except, “come on, it’s getting dark and not all of us are werewolves with awesome sight.”

Stiles took one last look at the crash before he followed after his friends. He would need to find Peter, which would lead to Derek.

***

Jackson hadn’t wanted to go back to school that week. If he’d had it his way he wouldn’t have returned until his face was completely healed, but the doctor’s note only covered so long, and the bruising and swelling had gone down so his parents had pretty much forced him to go back.

He met Danny outside the front door, wearing a pair of sunglasses, which only caused Danny to raise his eyebrows.

“You look ridiculous,” Danny said, and he reached for the glasses. Jackson tried to dodge, but Danny was too quick and he plucked off the sunglasses. “You don’t even look that bad. Just like you’ve had a few rough nights.”

Jackson growled because he could tell from Danny’s face that he was just trying to be nice, but it still made him feel better. He never usually cared what people thought, and knowing that his friend was making a joke out of it made it better.

He was still not prepared to see Stiles though, and he told Danny as much.

“Don’t worry,” Danny said leading them towards his locker. “Stiles doesn't want to see you just as much.”

“Still can’t believe that punk got away with everything,” Jackson muttered as he watched Danny unlock his locker.

“Well, would you rather have everyone know that Stiles was the one who punched you?” Danny asked, and no, Jackson did not, but he’d never admit that.

“So. Lydia said that you two broke up?”

Jackson watched Danny’s face for any sign of hurt, but he kept his emotions hidden. It was one of the things Jackson hated, because Danny didn’t normally hide his emotions, so when he did it just meant that he would eventually crack and Jackson would need to be there to catch him. And he didn’t mind catching Danny, that’s what friends were for. But Jackson didn’t want to clean up Stiles’ mess because there shouldn’t have been a mess to begin with. This should never have happened.

“Danny!” He said, because Danny wasn’t answering him.

Danny shut his locker. “I got you special permission to be late to a few of your classes, so we can take the long way around to our first class, okay?”

“Danny,” Jackson said again, catching Danny’s shoulder to stop him from walking off before their conversation was finished. “Talk to me.”

Danny shrugged him off and offered him a smile. “It’s nothing, Jackson. Just don’t want to talk about it since I know you don’t really care.” Jackson opened his mouth in surprise, honestly offended by that. Danny quickly corrected himself. “Not that you don’t care, but you were expecting it, and I just- I’m over it, okay?”

Jackson let him go with a sigh, because Danny was in one of those moods where he thought he was doing the right thing but not saying anything. “We’re going to talk about this eventually, Danny.”

***

“Stiles Stilinski I swear to god once I find out your first name I am going to enjoy it using it in situations like this,” Lydia cursed him as she brought up the rear of their group.

Stiles sighed but didn’t give her a response. There wasn’t really one he could say because he had already tried to tell the group of them not to follow him. He was slowing his pace down enough as is just to have them tag along, he didn’t need to be guilt tripped because he was walking too fast.

The group had followed him when he had trekked out to the old Hale house, which had been a big waste of time. Stiles wasn’t sure why he wasn’t surprised. That would have been too obvious, Peter hiding out in his old house. The only thing that had been there was the stench of humans that was too old to be of any use.

The woods were also empty and even though it hadn’t even been a week yet Stiles was still getting antsy. He wasn’t sleeping well, because what was the point of sleeping if he could be out looking for Peter and Derek.

The not sleeping was catching up to him though, and he was starting to become aggressive. That’s why Scott had been the one to suggest going to Doctor Deaton for answers.

Stiles didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it before, probably because his memory of Deaton helping was tarnished by the pain in his thigh from the bullet. But it made sense. Deaton was in on this werewolf lore, and while he wasn’t one himself, he might know something a werewolf would use to hide their scent. Stiles didn’t understand why everyone felt the need to follow him to Deaton’s office, but they insisted and Stiles had gotten past the point of caring.

“I will reiterate, I don’t understand what it is you guys don’t understand about the idea of letting me do this on my own,” Stiles finally said as he got to the front door of Deaton’s clinic. He turned back to look at the four of them.

“Obviously the core concept,” Allison said, looking way too chipper. Stiles could tell how much she was enjoying the legwork behind trying to track Derek. Lydia, Scott and Danny didn’t like it so much, but did it because they felt they had to, but Allison thrived in it.

Stiles had to admire that, even if it made him want to strangle her sometimes because they were already in too deep. He should be doing this on his own, but now he wasn’t sure if he even knew how.

“Will you guys at least stay in the lobby?” He asked as he stepped inside the office.

“Now Mr. Stilinski there is no reason for that.”

Stiles jumped because he hadn’t even heard Deaton come up behind him. Or maybe his senses were just going because of sleep deprivation.

“Doctor Deaton, hello,” Stiles said, falling into the lobby.

His friends followed him and Deaton smiled at all of them. “What can I do for you, Mr. Stilinski? Oh! I saw your alpha the other day,” Deaton said, casual as can be as he walked behind the counter, leaving it open so Stiles could follow.

Stiles froze. “He’s not my alpha.”

Deaton smiled at him and then continued into the back. “Then I assume you aren’t wondering what he was here for. So why are you here?”

“No. I want to know as much about Peter as I can,” Stiles said, following Deaton into the back. “He’s taken Derek in some sick training exercise and he’s doing this thing where it messes with my senses so I can’t track him.”

Deaton hummed thoughtfully as he opened one of the cages and pulled out a sleeping cat. “I need to give the animals their shots, I hope you don’t mind.” Stiles shook his head and Deaton nodded to Scott. “Can you help, Scott?” Scott sprang into action, grabbing some of the medicine and going about helping Deaton.

Stiles looked at Deaton as he took out another cat for a shot. “Have you heard about anything like that before? I haven’t read about it, and neither has Lydia.”

Deaton gave Lydia a faint smile. “Well, if Lydia hasn’t heard about it then it probably doesn’t exist.”

Lydia crossed her arms over her chest. “Or I just haven’t found the right book yet.”

“Whatever it is,” Stiles cut in. “I just want to know what it is, and how to get around it.”

Deaton’s lips went thin as he frowned. “I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Stiles asked sharply.

“Can’t,” Deaton responded, his voice leaving no room for disagreement. “An alpha who is blocking himself from his betas isn’t something you can just get around. Now, if it were hunters you were being blocked from, that I would have solution for.”

Stiles felt like he had been hit with a truck as Lydia pushed her way forward.

“Hunters have a way to block smells from wolves?”

Deaton nodded, reaching for another cat, the last in the room. “They use a certain strand of wolfsbane to do the trick. I keep a running stock in my office. You wouldn’t notice anything off, and Derek probably wouldn’t either, but Peter had, which is why he came to see me.” He gave the last cat a shot and then had Scott put the cat back in its cage.

Lydia spun on her heel and looked at Stiles excitedly. He shook his head. “No,” he said. “It was Peter. It _has_ to be.”

He could handle Derek being locked away somewhere with Peter. There was a high chance he wasn’t even locked away, just told to stay away. But hunters were different. Hunters were unpredictable and they would _hurt him_.

Stiles felt his claws bite into his palms as he repeated that mantra in his head.

***

Allison was doing her homework when Kate knocked on her bedroom door. She looked up and tried not to look forced as she smiled. It was hard though, because she knew what Kate was capable of, and it scared her.

Especially if she was part of the reason Derek had gone missing. Stiles had left Deaton’s in a panic, wanting to tear up all the places he had already searched with new fervor because now he had a new culprit. A new suspect. Scott and Lydia had run after him, leaving her and Danny behind. Danny was hanging out with Jackson, and Allison had a curfew.

“Hey you,” Kate said, leaning her hip on the doorframe. “Long time no talk. How goes everything?”

Allison looked at her homework and then back at her aunt. “Slowly?”

Kate came into her room, sweeping over to her bed and taking a seat. “We haven’t had a chance to talk, just the two of us. You don’t tell me about school, or your boyfriend. Kinda feels like you’re blocking me out.”

Allison looked away from Kate, going back to her homework. “Dad says the same thing,” or at least, he would if he spoke to her for more than a few minutes when she grabbed breakfast. “So just know it’s not you.”

“What’s got you like this, Ally?”

Allison gripped her pen, trying to think what she should say, how she should react. “Don't call me Ally.”

She heard the bedspring squeak and Allison looked behind her at Kate standing up. “I see. Getting to that point where you’re growing up, isn’t it?” She placed a hand on Allison’s shoulder and she squeezed. “I know all about that. You feel like your parents don’t understand you, that you don’t fit in.” Allison kept quiet, letting Kate ramble. “But I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “You aren’t that different from anyone else. Especially anyone in this family. We’ve all been there. Me. Your mom. We have a lot in common.”

Allison snorted. “I highly doubt that.”

Kate pulled away, taking Allison’s chair with her as she did, giving Allison no choice but to follow. “How about this. I’ll show you how much we have in common. A little family secret.”

Allison’s heart lurched up to her throat and she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at her desk drawer that held the arrowhead she had found in the kitchen earlier this week. She hadn’t had a chance to use it yet, but she could only imagine what it did. Lydia had taken it apart the other day, over under the guise of doing homework, and she’d found an explosive inside it.

“A family secret?” Allison said, huffing.

Kate’s eyes had followed hers though and she was smirking. “You can’t tell me you aren’t intrigued a little, can you?”

Allison didn’t know what Kate could possibly mean, whether the secret would be the hunting or not, but she still wanted to know. She wanted to see Kate’s hand.

“Lead the way,” Allison said, waving a hand.

Kate grinned and took Allison’s hand, leading her out of the house.

 

  
They had been driving for a little while, Kate’s car leading the way because she said she had things to do after and Allison needed to get home at a reasonable hour because she had school. Allison didn’t complain because she wasn’t sure she would have been able to handle being a car with Kate alone. She might have snapped, not sure what else to say.

She followed Kate up a hill, and in the dark the woods looked different, but when they pulled up behind a house, Allison recognized it. Stiles had brought them here, looking around desperately for the alpha and Derek. He hadn’t let them follow him inside, saying the floor boards were too weak, so Allison had spent the time looking around outside.

Kate didn’t head inside. She walked to the side of the house, leaning down and brushing aside some leaves to reveal a cellar door. Allison could barely see in the dark, and all she had was the flashlight Kate had handed her.

“Don’t be afraid,” Kate said with a smile. “This is almost a family tradition. You know, if you hadn’t been raised by my brother, you would have done this _ages_ ago.”

Allison bit her lip to keep herself from saying something she shouldn’t. She had a sinking suspicion what was going on, what Kate was going to show her, but her stomach still dropped to her toes when Kate lead her into a room and turned on another light to reveal Derek, chained up to a wall.

Allison’s scream was real, as were the tears that followed when she saw Kate turn on the device she had hooked up to Derek’s side, causing him to shift right there.

Kate was talking, but Allison wasn’t listening.

“Isn’t it disgusting?” Allison finally looked at her aunt, unable to believe what she was seeing.

“What- what are you doing?” Allison asked, and a part of her realized she should ask what it is, but she didn’t have time. She needed to know what Kate was doing and then she needed to leave and get help.

“Well, I could say I was trying to get information, but I’d be lying,” Kate said, fingers trailing over Derek’s stomach and Allison looked away. “You see, these things? Werewolves? They rarely give up their pack. I could spend literally months trying to work him open,” she smirked. “Actually, I have. But not this time, right Derek?” Derek fought his chains, snarling and biting and Allison let out another gasp. Kate seemed uninterested. “He won’t talk again. Which is a real shame, because I would love to know everything he knew. Sadly some things are not meant to be.”

“So what will you do instead? If he won’t talk?” Allison asked, pushing herself against the door. There were guards, other hunters, and Allison was trying to map out the place in her mind so she could relay it to the others.

“Kill him probably,” Kate said with a shrug, flipping the switch again, shooting pain through Derek’s body. He snarled and tried to fight it but Allison could see how much it tired him out. “Want a go?” Kate asked, but when she looked at Allison her face softened and she approached her. “Allison? Are you okay?” Allison shook her head, and Kate made soft cooing noises, as if that would calm Allison down. “There, there. I know it’s a lot to take in.”

She embraced Allison, and she just stood stiffly in Kate’s arms because she couldn’t get the image of Derek fighting, chained up, out of her mind. She wasn’t sure she ever would.

She needed to tell the others. She needed to tell Stiles.

***

“Hey dad,” Stiles said collapsing into the seat opposite his father.

He knew he probably looked a mess, but he didn’t care. He needed the normality, and the calm that his father gave him because if he didn’t Stiles was pretty sure he would go insane. The thought that Derek might be held by hunters was tearing him up, and it made him search harder. But the searching wasn’t helping. Deaton hadn’t been able to provide him with the solution immediately, saying he needed the flower to grow just a little more, but Stiles didn’t have time. He couldn’t wait a couple more days for some flower to come into bloom.

He wanted to announce his presence to the hunters, howling and clawing, but he couldn’t. He would risk putting more than himself in danger if he did. So he came home to his father, and the million notes from his investigation. Notes he was making no attempt to hide, so Stiles didn’t feel bad picking up a pile of notes and looking them over.

They were the details to his dad’s interview with Mr. Harris and a few other people. His dad didn’t say anything as Stiles looked through more of the papers. They didn’t connect together all at once, but by the time he got to the bottom of the pile, where a report of the Hale fire laid, Stiles realized the connection.

“All of this ties into the fire?” He asked, and his dad finally looked up from the notes he was looking at.

“Stiles, you shouldn’t be looking at these,” he said with a sigh, but he didn’t try to shoo Stiles away.

“Yeah I know,” Stiles said brushing it off. “But what? Is the fire the connection you think?”

His dad let out a sigh and put his notes on the table and Stiles reached for them. His dad must have been tired because he just grunted and didn’t say anything as Stiles looked over the few notes he hadn’t seen.

“From what I’ve gathered, when Laura got to town she started asking around about the fire. And it seems like everyone attacked might have something to do with the fire, but… I can’t figure out who started it all.”

“You think it could have been someone covering their tracks?” Stiles licked his lips, looking at the drawing in his hand. He knew who had killed everyone so far, but no one would believe that.

“It’s possible. They found out Laura was snooping around, and so they killed her, and then killed everyone connected with the fire so there was nothing left.” His dad rubbed his eyes. “But since most of the witnesses are dead, and the only thing we have is a statement from Harris saying that it was a young girl wearing that pendant, well you can imagine our frustration.”

Stiles rubbed his lower lip, trying to remember where he had seen the pendant before. He almost had it when the doorbell rang, scaring both of them.

Before Stiles could get up his dad was already up, motioning for Stiles to stay in his seat. He sighed and turned back to the pendant drawing. It was on the tip of his tongue where he had seen it when the smell of who was at the door hit him.

“Allison!” He said, jumping up and running to the front door.

His dad stepped to the side as Allison rushed towards him, and Stiles could smell tears. He hugged her as she ran into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder and Stiles was pretty sure he looked half-terrified from the way his dad was looking at him.

“Uh- I… we’re gonna go upstairs. Relationship issues, her and Scott, big fight,” Stiles said, turning and heading up the stairs with Allison. He could feel his dad’s eyes boring into the back of his head and he was so going to have to explain himself with something more convincing then that.

“Keep your door open,” his dad called after him and Stiles winced, because yup, his dad had gotten the exact wrong impression.

But that didn’t matter right now, what mattered was why Allison was crying. He turned to her the moment they were inside his bedroom, hoping she would start explaining.

“Allison?”

She pulled away from him, and rubbed her face, trying to get control. “Derek,” she said and Stiles gave her his full attention.

“Derek? What about Derek? Did you see him?”

Allison nodded, and let out a dry hiccup. “Hunters. They have him. My aunt,” she took a deep breath. “My aunt has him.”

Stiles felt his control start to shift and he couldn’t have that. He needed to find something to anchor to, but it was so hard because _hunters had Derek_. Kate Argent _had Derek_.

Stiles snapped his attention to Allison. “You. Where did you get your pendant?”

Allison looked at him for a moment, and then nodded, understanding that his questions had a logical purpose. “My birthday. It was a family heirloom.”

“Who gave it to you? Your mom? Kate?” He tried so hard not to reach and grab Allison by the shoulders because he was scared of his own strength. He didn’t want to hurt her.

Allison shook her head. “Kate. It was hers.”

Stiles felt himself go limp and he collapsed on his bed as it all came together. Kate was who Peter was after. He was going after everyone who had had a hand in the fire, and Kate was the mastermind. She had to have been.

Before Stiles could say anything to Allison, to tell her what he’d figured out Scott came barreling in the room. He rushed straight for Allison, wrapping her up in his arms, as she let out a fresh wave of tears.

Stiles rubbed his face and glanced to his door where he could see his dad looking in suspiciously. He shook his head and stood up, walking over. “Like I said, big fight. All better now.” He tried to smile but his dad’s face told him he wasn’t very convincing.

“Alright,” his dad said. “If you say.”

Stiles shut the door as his dad left and he turned back to his friends. “Hunters have Derek,” Stiles whispered because he could still hear his dad outside.

Scott heard him though, eyes going wide. “Where? Are we going?”

Stiles shook his head. “No. I’m going.”

“No,” Allison cut him off. “You aren’t. We need a plan Stiles. There were at least six hunters there, each armed. If you go in there now, who knows what will happen to you.”

Stiles dropped onto the bed because that was the truth, but he didn’t want to believe that. “Fine,” he admitted, grabbing his phone because if he was going to plan he wanted Lydia in on it. She would point out everything they would be overlooking.

***

“Come on Danny, cheer up,” Jackson said, pulling into the diner parking lot. “We are getting crap food, and then going to see whatever shitty movie you want.”

He saw Danny give a faint smile but besides that he didn’t have any reaction. Jackson was getting a little sick of that because he was trying for his friend. Normally it would be Lydia and him doing this, but Lydia had been distant since Jackson had come back from the hospital. Sure, she came in to check on him, and she seemed the same, but she was busier than usual, running off to do other things. So it was up to Jackson to pull off their normal ‘Danny’s post-break-up’ night by himself.

Danny let himself go along with it, but Jackson could see his heart wasn’t really into it, which was why he jumped on the text he got as he was exiting Jackson’s car.

“Jackson,” Danny called, “we have to go.”

Jackson stopped and turned. “What do you mean? This is your night.”

“I know,” Danny said patiently, waving his phone. “And now you need to take us to Lydia’s house.”

“Excuse me?” Jackson asked, but he was walking backwards, opening the door back to his car. He restarted the car and looked at Danny as he pulled out onto the street. “Are you going to explain anything?”

“Just go to Lydia’s house.”

Jackson sucked in a breath. He was normally patient with Danny, but it was really growing thin. Danny had been distant all week and now he was blatantly leaving Jackson out of the loop. “Why?”

Danny took a deep breath, looking at his phone. “Because Stiles is a werewolf and they just called a pack meeting.”

Jackson slammed on the brakes, ignoring the honks. “What?”

Danny looked a mix of annoyed and impatient as he responded to a text and then pointed for Jackson to pull over so they weren’t in the middle of the road. Jackson did as he was told, and then looked at Danny for an explanation.

“Stiles is a werewolf and so is Derek, and so was the thing chasing us in the school.” He turned to give Jackson a big fake smile. “Werewolves. That’s why I broke up with Stiles, because I didn’t want to be involved in this shit, but I still am, because I’m literally the only sane person in this fucking pack.”

Jackson put his hand against Danny’s forehead, checking for a fever. Danny shook his off and Jackson glared. “Danny-“

“No! Don’t,” Danny said harshly. “I’ve told you because I know you can handle this, so if you start freaking out on me I will sock you so hard I don’t care if it rebreaks your face, and Lydia is forced to make me and Stiles her dates.”

Jackson’s jaw clenched and then he winced in pain. “I-“

“Just drive and I’ll fill you in on the way.”

Jackson half listened while he drove towards Lydia’s house, letting Danny talk about everything.

Werewolves. Fucking _werewolves_. No wonder Stiles had been able to cause so much damage if he had super strength and god knows what else.

“Is that why you dated him? Because of some weird werewolf power?”

Danny shot him a glare. “No. Werewolves don’t have mind control. Trust me, I made sure.”

Jackson didn’t relax. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, Jackson,” he huffed, sinking into his seat. “I already checked but werewolves can’t do that. I dated Stiles because I thought he was safe and boring and obviously I can’t have nice things because that didn’t happen.”

“You deserve nice things,” Jackson said, because he wasn’t sure what else he could say to that.

“Yeah, well,” Danny rolled his neck and looked out his window. “No one wanted me to tell you, but I think you deserve to know.”

“Thanks for that,” Jackson said, and he meant it. “So why are we going to a pack meeting?” He stumbled over the words because they were weird, something he had never expected to say before, but Danny didn’t comment.

Danny shrugged. “We don’t say much in our texts. I just got a text from Lydia saying there was a crisis. I think it has to do with Derek.”

“Derek,” Jackson said flatly. “The other werewolf.”

“Yeah. Stiles’ new boyfriend.” The way Danny said it just showed how much it hurt him and even if he didn’t want to let it, Jackson still knew.

He resisted the urge to slam on the breaks again. “They _are_ dating?”

“They might as well be. Lydia keeps saying they are. Listen, it doesn’t matter, and don’t bring it up. He’s missing and it’s thrown Stiles for a loop. That’s why I’ve kept you away from him all week.”

Jackson gripped the steering wheel as he turned into Lydia’s driveway. There were already two cars, Allison and Stiles’, and Jackson parked beside them. He tried to calm himself down and he looked over at Danny to see how he was acting. He would mimic Danny, because Danny knew what to do.

It was hard though, when he walked into Lydia’s room and suddenly felt like an outsider. The other four teens were sitting on Lydia’s bed, talking in hushed voices, all touching in some way that made it seem like they didn’t even notice what they were doing. And that was fine for Scott and Allison. They were dating, but Lydia was rubbing Stiles’ forearm and the only thing that stopped Jackson from throwing a hissy fit was Danny’s words that Derek and Stiles were a thing, and the pain in his face reminding him what happened last time.

They all looked at him, and he felt even more like he didn’t belong. He could see how much they didn’t want him there, but no one said anything. They all looked at Danny, even Stiles, and something must have passed between them, maybe a pack thing, but they all looked away and went back to talking.

Danny grabbed Jackson’s wrist and pulled him into the room, shutting the door behind him. Jackson took a seat on Lydia’s computer chair and looked at everyone.

“So what’s this crisis about?” He asked, because damn if he was going to let anyone see him thrown for a loop again.


	10. Episode 10: We do the kind of stuff (only sabaton would sing about)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ._____.

The plan Lydia came up with was a stupid plan, and Stiles said as much before he stormed off. She really thought he would be able to wait? That he could sit back and let Derek be kept locked up for another week? He knew where Derek was being held now, he’d managed to get that out of Allison before Lydia had tried to tell Stiles that he _couldn’t_ go after him. Like that was going to happen. He didn’t care if there were hunters guarding the house, he could take them.

They wouldn’t be expecting someone to attack. They probably heard him when he had scoped out the house before, looking for signs of Derek, and they hadn’t paid him any attention then. Why would that be different now?

Stiles ran through the woods, pushing himself to get to the old Hale house faster. He didn’t want to leave Derek there for any longer than he already had been. The thought made Stiles’ stomach heave.

Allison hadn’t said what Kate was doing with Derek, just that he had been chained up. Allison thought Kate was doing it just for fun, just because she could, and that was the worst possible reason Stiles could think of. At least if she was trying to get information out of him there would be a purpose, some kind of logic behind it, but for fun?

It meant Derek was almost as good as dead the longer they left him there.

Stiles would not let this happen.

He finally reached the clearing the Hale house was in. He could vaguely smell humans, now that he knew where to look. He was wolfed out, and he didn’t want to pull it back. He wanted the hunters to know Derek wasn’t alone, that he had a pack backing him, and he was going to announce himself loudly.

Stiles stalked around the house, heading for the cellar door Allison had mentioned. He could hear voices, voices that didn’t really have scents, and his eyes picked up the patch of wolfsbane that was planted around the cellar door. It was what was blocking the scent of not only Derek, but whoever else was down there.

Stiles let out a growl, and reached for the latch on the door.

He almost had his hand around the latch when something grabbed his shoulder, forcing him back.

He snarled, whipping around to attack whoever tried to stop him. He was going to kill whatever hunter it was slowly. Which is why when his eyes finally focused and he saw it was Peter it felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

Peter looked furious, eyes blood red as he pulled Stiles further away from the house and into the woods.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Peter hissed, slammed Stiles back into a tree with enough force Stiles heard the tree creak.

Peter had his hand wrapped around Stiles’ throat as he held him up and it was enough to force Stiles back into action.

He kicked his feet, getting leverage on Peter’s thigh to deliver a kick to Peter’s gut. Peter didn’t even seem to feel it as he kept his hold on Stiles’ neck.

“Stiles,” Peter said patiently as he began to squeeze. “Answer the question.”

Stiles’ hand clawed at Peter’s wrist. He could barely breathe at this point, let alone talk. Peter’s eyes drained of the red as he slowly seemed to realize this, and he let Stiles down to the ground gently, loosening his grip just a little so Stiles could talk.

Stiles didn’t cough, because he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Peter. “Where have you been?”

Peter gave him an unamused look. “That wasn’t an answer to the question.” He sniffed the air, and glanced around. “Where is my nephew?”

Stiles glared. “Oh, now you notice.”

Peter fixed him with a look. “I’ve been very busy, Stiles. You know this. I have plans--”

“To kill the Argents,” Stiles spit out. “Yeah, I figured.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, but besides that his face gave nothing away. “I plan to kill an Argent, yes. Now where is Derek.”

Stiles thought for a moment about hiding the truth from Peter, just out of spite, but he knew it was pointless. Peter would be able to tell he was lying, and as much it didn’t cause lasting damage, Stiles had better things to do than get slammed into a tree again. _Also_ , his mind reminded him, _Peter might be able to help._ “Kate has him.”

Peter’s eyes flashed red and he looked towards his old house.“That woman has him?”

Stiles nodded, following Peter’s look. “Chained up in some cell. He ’s been down there for almost a week. They are using wolfsbane to block his scent from me, but I finally found him.” He looked back at Peter. “I thought _you_ had taken him originally, and I looked for you, but I guess you were busy.”

Peter shrugged. “It’s a long trek down to New Orleans.”

Stiles balked. “New Orleans? You went across the country? And just _left us_ here?”

Peter rolled his head slowly to look at Stiles. “You do remember the custody arrangement my nephew and I worked out for you, right? I only get visiting privileges on weekends, so there’s no reason to come during the week. I thought you boys would stay out of trouble.” He blew out a breath. “I guess that’s not the case.”

“Derek was _attacked_. His car was run off the road by a truck. He was probably injured and stuck with no way to get out.” Stiles felt himself getting angry as he thought about it. He hadn’t given much thought to it before, and now he regretted it, because rage was bubbling up.

Peter rested a hand on his shoulder before drawing him into a hug. “Stiles, calm down.” Stiles froze, but he couldn’t fight Peter. His wolf didn’t want to, because this was his alpha, and he didn’t have Derek to anchor him back to reality. His alpha was treating him like an alpha should, offering comfort for a lost pack member, and it made his wolf want to submit and do what Peter said. “I know you’re angry, and that’s a good thing,” Peter whispered.

Stiles found himself relaxing in Peter’s embrace against his will. His mouth opened without his permission and he heard himself starting to tell Peter things he hadn’t planned on ever saying. “I want to find them and kill every one of them for hurting him, and I don’t even know what they’ve done to him yet.”

Peter hushed him. “I know, I know. And we will. We’ll kill every one of them for hurting our pack.”

Stiles felt his claws coming out and he curled them into Peter’s back. He could hear his wolf howling inside his chest as his mind went blissfully silent. He was beginning to feel rabid in a way he had never felt before, and a part of him liked it. “Not Kate though,” he heard himself whisper. Peter ran a hand down his back as Stiles continued. “I want her.”

He felt Peter laugh against his neck, before he pulled away to look at Stiles with a wide smile on his face. “We shall see,” he said softly before wrapping a hand around Stiles’ wrist, taking him away from the house.

It was enough to snap Stiles out of the haziness he was feeling. He tugged his wrist out of Peter’s grip. “Where are we going?”

Peter looked at him patiently. “Away from here for now.”

Stiles growled. “No. We’re rescuing Derek.”

He saw something flash across Peter’s face, before it was blank again. He reached for Stiles, but he took a step back. “Stiles, it wouldn't be wise to go in there now.”

“Why not?” Stiles fought the feeling that was telling him to listen to Peter. He refused to if it meant leaving Derek down there.

Peter huffed. “I still have plans, Stiles. Things I need to do.”

“Things that are more important than Derek?”

“In some ways, yes.” Peter looked back at the house, sniffing the air. “Derek is strong. He’ll be able to last…” he trailed off in thought, and Stiles wanted to pull his hair out waiting. “It shouldn’t be more than another week. Especially if I leave now.”

“A _week_?” Stiles turned in anger, intent on heading towards the house.

Peter grabbed him and Stiles fought the whole way, but he still ended up pressed back into a tree. Peter looked furious as he held Stiles until he stopped fighting. “Stiles, I have grown very fond of you, and that’s part of the reason I don't want you going in there without me.”

“Then come in with me,” Stiles ground out as sharply as he could while being _strangled_.

Peter clucked his tongue. “Not right now. I told you, I have things I need to do.”

“So you’ve said,” Stiles gasped, but whatever else they were going to say was cut off by a soft buzzing.

Peter looked down at his hip, and Stiles kicked his feet, because he was finally able to feel his phone vibrating in his pocket.

“Are you going to answer that?” Peter asked, as Stiles fought against him some more.

“If you let me go.”

Peter gave him a look and then reached into Stiles’ pocket, pulling out his phone. “Pamela Isley,” he sounded amused. “Cute. Your redhead friend, I take it?” He handed Stiles his phone just as it stopped vibrating, letting him down off the tree. Peter made a motion with his hand, indicating that Stiles should return her call.

Stiles sighed, not wanting to call her back. Peter didn’t need to hear any conversation Lydia and he were going to have. Peter didn’t need confirmation on Lydia’s involvement with the pack, or anyone’s involvement with the pack. His choice was taken out of his hands when his phone started vibrating again, _Pamela Isley_ coming up on his screen.

Stiles answer the phone, wincing as Lydia immediately started yelling. “Stiles I swear to fucking god if you have even _thought_ about going to rescue Derek I will have Jackson drive out there with me and we will cause such a ruckus that you will have no option but to _stop_ , do I make myself clear? I did not just make up this plan because I want Derek to suffer. It’s for Allison’s protection just as much as your own.”

Peter arched his eyebrow at Stiles, clearly able to hear what Lydia was saying. “Pamela seems very smart.”

Stiles’ mouth hung open, and he didn’t know who to respond to. He didn’t know why everyone was trying to stop him from rescuing Derek.

“Stiles!” Lydia said harshly. “You _can not_ go in there. Think past your instincts to get Derek back and consider the reality. Allison just got shown that Kate has Derek. If he gets broken out _tonight_ , or even tomorrow, or sometime other than _when I planned_ the hunters will immediately suspect Allison. And you will put her in danger, and if you do that you will hate yourself forever.”

Stiles bit back a curse as Peter’s face turned victorious and he reached for Stiles’ wrist. He didn’t want to back down, but it wasn’t looking like he had much of a choice. Lydia was right, it would be suspicious if Derek was released the same night Allison found out.

He swallowed and gripped his phone a little tighter. He didn’t want to crack it, but he also didn’t want to give up. Not yet. He couldn’t do that to Derek. “You really think they’ll link that to her?”

“Do you want to risk it?” Lydia asked, and she actually sounded scared now, like she wasn’t sure if Stiles was going to give up or not. “Stiles! My plan will _work_. You have to trust that.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “We’ll get Derek out of there.”

Stiles shut his eyes. He refused to look at Peter as he finally let himself be talked out of his rescue plan by Lydia. “Fine. We’ll do this your way.”

“Thank you,” Lydia said, and then Stiles hung up the phone, because there was nothing else she could say that Peter needed to hear.

Peter was looking at him contemplatively and Stiles shoved his phone back in his pocket. “What’s the plan our dear Pamela came up with?” Peter asked, sliding a hand around Stiles’ shoulder to start walking him away from the Hale house. “I assume there is room to fit myself in.”

Stiles huffed, wanting nothing more than to shove Peter’s arm off of him and run back to the house, but he couldn’t do that. So he settled for snark. “Will you even be here? Or will you still be _planning_?”

Peter laughed, and the sound sent shivers down his spine. “Tell me your plan and I will find a way to move my own around.” Stiles hadn’t intended to Peter anything, but then Peter’s hand squeezed his shoulder as he leaned over and whispered, “tell me, Stiles,” and Stiles felt his head getting fuzzy again.

It was the alpha exerting his dominance over his beta, and Stiles hated it, most of all because he couldn’t resist.

“I’m going to rescue Derek the night of the dance,” Stiles said, mind racing with ways to leave out everyone else’s involvement. “Kate is going to be asked to chaperone the dance, to get her away, and make it easier for me to get in.”

Peter made a noise of agreement as he took Stiles deeper into the woods. “This could work. When is the dance? Come now, don’t keep any details from me, Stiles.”

Stiles tried to bite his lip, but the words kept coming unbidden. He told Peter almost everything, trying hard to leave out people’s names, and Peter seemed to be pleased enough that Stiles was being cooperative because he let those things slide. They walked with Peter’s arm wrapped around Stiles’ shoulder all the way back to the main part of town, and they continued the rest of the way to Stiles’ house side by side.

Stiles couldn’t even comment how creepy it was that Peter knew where he lived, because of course Peter did. It wasn’t like it was a big secret. Peter kept him talking the whole walk back, and when Peter decided to contribute it wasn’t hard for Stiles to realize that anything he said was superficial. He didn’t mention anything about his own plans, and he only laughed and diverted the conversation again when Stiles finally asked him outright at his doorstep.

“You just worry about my nephew,” Peter said, patting Stiles’ cheek. He could hear his dad moving around in the living room and he wondered what his dad would say if he decided to look out the front window at this moment. “Everything else can wait until we have our pack back, right?”

Stiles nodded, because there was no other proper response to that. He had to play Peter’s games for now, and for however long it took for Derek and him to finally kill him.

“We will get him back,” Peter said. “And he’ll be fine.”

Stiles couldn’t answer without his heartbeat skipping, so he just nodded and then escaped into his house, because facing his dad was more appealing than spending another moment with Peter.

***

Allison fidgeted in her chair as Lydia finished pinning her hair up. It was supposed to be a simple style, fancy enough to not raise suspicion at the dance, but that also wouldn’t get in her way when they left to go rescue Derek. On her bed she had already packed a bag full of clothes to change into, and Lydia had hidden at least five containers full of her exploding Molotov cocktails in it.

They were all set, and they had gone over the plan hundreds of times in the past week, but Allison was still nervous. And it was more than the healthy bit of nerves her father had always said was necessary for any smart person to have. She had been the healthy bit of nervous when she had asked Kate if she could come and chaperone the dance.

That had been step one. They needed to get Kate away from Derek for an extended period of time, and know that she wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. The dance was the perfect cover for that because it was going to last at least five hours, and as a chaperone she would need to be there longer.

Kate had readily agreed, and at the time Allison had been pleased with how smoothly everything was going, but now that it was the night of she wondered if there was something else to it. Maybe she had called in backup, but Danny had gotten her phone records and assured them that Kate had made no suspicious calls, or sent any odd texts. Maybe Kate was just happy that Allison was finally reaching out to her, seeming to heal from the trauma of being exposed to werewolves.

So Allison knew what healthy nerves felt like. The butterflies running rampant in her stomach were not those. They were full on panic and Allison was strong enough to admit it was almost entirely because of the alpha. She had been fine doing this until Stiles had said his alpha was going to get involved, because when it was just them there was minimal damage. They could slip in, Stiles and her, and get Derek out. No one would get hurt, because Scott would be driving them away by the time any of the hunters her aunt had watching Derek came back to consciousness. But with the alpha it added a whole new layer.

The layer where she was ninety-five percent sure there would be a body count and one of them would be the alpha at the hands of Derek.

“Chin up,” Lydia said, setting the brush down. “I need you to face me so I can finish putting on your makeup.”

Allison rolled her eyes as Lydia grabbed her chin and forced her to stay still so she could add gloss to her lips. “I do know how to apply makeup,” Allison muttered as she pulled her chin out of Lydia’s grasp after the gloss was applied.

Lydia hummed and handed her a Kleenex. “Blot.” Allison did as she was told, watching Lydia putter around and add a few more things to the bag. “Just because we are going into danger doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look our best.”

Allison couldn’t stop herself from laughing as Lydia tucked the taser Stiles had gotten for her into her purse. “Glad to know you haven’t lost sight of your priorities.”

Lydia gave a tight-lipped smile. “Can I borrow a shirt?” Allison looked over to her closet and Lydia sighed. “Not to wear. I want to make sure the beakers don’t crack inside the bag. I’m going to wrap them in cloth to cushion them.” Allison gestured to her chest of drawers and Lydia clapped her hands together in delight. “This is going to be so much fun.”

Allison let out another laugh. “I hope you’re talking about the dance.”

Lydia shot her a look. “Of course I’m talking about the dance. What else would I be talking about?”

Allison stood up to sit on the edge of her bed, smoothing the end of her knee length dress. “I don’t know, maybe the whole rescuing Derek part? You seem pretty,” Allison made a gesture towards the containers Lydia was wrapping in different shirts, “involved.”

“We’re all involved with this,” Lydia said simply. “And that’s not going to be fun. That’s saving a...” she paused, “friend.”

Allison watched Lydia’s face. “You were going to say pack mate, weren’t you?”

“It’s a silly word that I’m not used to yet,” Lydia quipped, tucking another cushioned container into Allison’s backpack. “But, yes. I was. Since he is going to be the alpha – my alpha,” she quickly corrected herself.

“You’re going to ask Derek for the bite?” Allison asked, honestly shocked. Lydia nodded. “Why?”

“I have my reasons,” Lydia said simply, but Allison needed to know more. “Derek needs three betas,” Lydia continued unprompted, and Allison knew this bit. It had been mentioned before. “He has Stiles, and me, and if all goes the way I want he’ll have Danny too.”

 _Danny_ , Allison wondered. “But, what about Jackson?” He was in the know now, and even though he and Stiles weren’t on good terms by any stretch, he had still not said a single word to anyone, and had come to each of the meetings without too much complaint.

“What about him?”

“Is he not going to ask for the bite?”

Lydia shrugged. “He can ask, but it won’t matter. Stiles won’t let him, and since Derek already has us he doesn’t need to give Jackson the bite. Jackson wouldn’t be a good addition anyway.”

Allison balked. “What do you mean he wouldn’t be a good addition? I thought you liked him?”

“Like has nothing to do with it.” Lydia looked at her with a fond expression. “This is about pack dynamics, and what’s best for us. Jackson can stay human, and it won’t upset the balance, but as a werewolf he’ll be too independent, too reckless. He’ll fight Derek’s leadership too much and since the territory is shared with a bunch of hunters we can’t have that. Not with a new alpha.” Lydia arched an eyebrow. “It’s not like I’m leaving him. I just take precedence over anything else, and what I want is for this pack to be successful.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot.”

Lydia nodded. “The pack is going to give me everything I want. I’ll finally be able to _be_ myself.” She was looking at the backpack almost sadly. “Things like this? The chemistry? It will be appreciated because it’s a skill I have that the pack would need. But it won’t be all they’ll see me for. They’ll see me for my weaknesses, things I can’t do, and it will be okay. Do you know what Derek did after that night at the school? When we were out in the woods watching your shoot your bow? He asked me how the explosive was supposed to work and what went wrong so next time it wouldn’t. He was pissed, but he wanted me to get it right next time. He knew there was going to be a next time, and that I was going to get it right.”

Allison blinked, taken aback by Lydia’s thoughts. She’d known that Lydia kept things to herself, realized that after only a few weeks that the persona she presented at school was only a piece of her. And they had been getting closer since the night at the school, but Allison hadn’t thought they had reached the point where Lydia would actually tell her the truth.

“So you want it because you’ll be able to be yourself? And people will like you?” It took Lydia a moment but she nodded. “You don’t need to hide who you are to be liked.”

Lydia gave a sharp laugh, going back to wrapping containers. “Maybe where you come from, but not here. Trust me. I tried when I was little, but the worst people in the world are fourth grade girls, and apparently you aren’t allowed to like dissecting frogs _and_ Mall Madness. So I picked. And it wasn’t a hard choice, either. And luckily mean children have shitty memories. All is forgotten at a birthday invite and a pretty new dress. So now I have another choice and guess what? That’s not hard either.” Lydia finished folding Allison’s pajama pants around the final container. “Now we just need to make sure no one but me or you holds this bag so it doesn’t explode and we’ll be golden.” She flashed a huge smile, any trace of tension from before gone and Allison didn’t know what else to say.

She couldn’t argue with Lydia’s choice; hell, a part of her was jealous it came so easily to her. Allison still had moments where she struggled to find where she fit in. She knew it was with the pack, and she thought she was happy as a human, but sometimes, like now, she thought it might be easier if she had the same power as Stiles. It would make breaking Derek out easier, definitely, because Stiles wouldn’t need to hold back. Hell, they probably wouldn’t even need Scott to drive them away because it would be three werewolves, and they could outrun any human.

Before Allison could say anything else Lydia’s phone pinged from a text and Lydia broke into a smile.

“Jackson’s outside. Scott’s in the car, too.”

Allison grinned worriedly as she grabbed her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. She knew she looked strange in a fancy dress and strappy heels with an overstuffed backpack over her shoulder. Lydia locked their arms together and led her out of the room.

Allison’s parents were downstairs in the living room, and they both looked up when the two of them came down the stairs. Kate had left almost an hour earlier, having to be at the school a half hour before the dance started to watch over anyone who showed up early.

“You girls look nice,” her father said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Allison felt Lydia beam next to her, but she focused on her dad. He arched an eyebrow at the backpack Allison had and she was glad she had already tucked her arrows in the back of Stiles’ Jeep. “What’s the backpack for?”

“I’m sleeping over Lydia’s after the dance, remember?” Allison looked down at Lydia who smiled widely at her dad.

“We’re gonna have so much fun. Thanks for letting us get ready here, Mr. A,” Lydia said with a huge smile as she pulled Allison out of the house towards the driveway where Jackson’s Porsche was idling.

Allison looked back at her dad, who was watching them with a strange expression on his face. She wondered for a moment if he knew, but then Lydia was pushing her in the backseat of the car next to Scott, and she couldn’t see her father’s face anymore.

Scott smiled eagerly at her as Allison tucked her backpack into the tight space of Jackson’s backseat. “You look… wow,” Scott breathed out and Allison couldn’t stop herself from smiling in return, even as her heart started to pound because this was happening. When they got to the dance the plan would be underway. Stiles would cause a diversion at some point and slip away. She would follow shortly after with Scott, while Danny, Jackson and Lydia kept an eye on Kate and made sure she didn’t notice anything weird.

“Jackson, give me the flask,” Lydia snapped from the front seat, and Allison looked up to see Lydia reaching into Jackson’s jacket pocket. “You are _not_ getting trashed tonight.”

“Lydia, there is barely anything in there.”

“I don’t care,” Lydia said, rolling down the window and emptying the flask out as they came to a stoplight. She didn’t let any of Jackson’s protests stop her, but Allison noticed he wasn’t really trying. He just gripped the steering wheel and muttered under his breath until Lydia slipped her hand in his.

Scott’s hand crept around her shoulder and Allison tried to relax. Lydia was right. Even if they were going into danger it didn’t mean they shouldn’t enjoy themselves for the few moments they would be able to.

***

This was not how Jackson planned on spending a school dance. He was sober for starters, and that was just not acceptable. Who cared that they had some plan to save Derek. He wasn’t going out there. He was staying here the entire time, watching Allison’s aunt.

Who was hot, he had to admit. She didn’t even look that much like the serial wolf killer type. So it could have been worse. He could have been forced to watch someone who wasn’t as attractive.

A part of him wanted to go over and talk to her even, but then he remembered the file he had filched from Lydia’s bag, the one that detailed the Hale house fire and the people who had died. Children, most of whom were human according to Stiles. That stopped him from doing it, because no matter how much he fought the idea of helping Derek, of helping their stupid _pack_ , he still had a heart.

Not that anyone seemed to believe him, if the way they intentionally left him out of their plans said anything. And it did. It spoke volumes about how he didn’t belong, and how he couldn’t help. He would help, he supposed, if he was asked. It’s why he was doing this, but he didn’t think it was fair that Scott was the one going with Stiles and Allison to break out Derek. He was stronger than Scott, faster too. Being injured didn’t change that.

He should have been going with them while Scott stayed behind, but he wasn’t important enough.

Even through all of this, though, all these thoughts rushing through his head, he never thought about going to Allison’s aunt with any intent of ruining their plans, and he knew Lydia was waiting for it. It stung that even she didn’t trust him, that she was keeping a hold of his hand and intentionally making sure they didn’t go anywhere near Allison’s aunt, even when Allison had to go and say hello when they got to the school.

It would probably be more bearable if he had Danny, who was probably the only one in their group who was willing to be truthful with him, followed very closely by Scott, but that seemed to be more out of nicety than anything else. But Danny wasn’t coming for a little while, and when he did get to the dance he had his own role to play that didn’t involve spending time with anyone but Stiles.

Lydia wanted people to notice Stiles being at the dance because it would give him an alibi if hunters started asking around after Derek got rescued. Allison and Scott’s alibi would be that they snuck off for private couple time, and he, Danny and Lydia would all stay at the dance. Jackson personally thought it was too elaborate, but no one wanted his opinion, so he kept it to himself. Just like he was keeping everything else to himself.

Maybe once they saved Derek life would go back to normal, and he, Lydia and Danny could go back to living a normal, freak-free life.

***

The dance was not going well. Stiles had gotten there almost an hour after it had started, he and Danny being some of the last people to stroll into the dance. Stiles could feel people looking at him, and he knew half the school thought Danny and he had broken up. He could hear the people he passed whispering, trying to figure out if they were back together, and he had to remind himself that it was part of the whole plan. So he let people stare at them as they came in late, awkwardly holding hands, trying to act uncomfortable with one another.

This had been the part Stiles had been worried about from the get-go, because Danny and he were getting better with each day that passed. They had even been able to hold an entire conversation on the car ride to the dance that wasn’t related to anything involving werewolves, or what they were going to deal with tonight. It was like having a good friend back, and Stiles was glad for that because above all else he had missed being Danny’s friend. The car ride had put him in a good mood, or as good a mood as he could be in with the knowledge that Derek was chained up.

Any sliver of that was destroyed when he caught the first scent of Kate. The feeling only intensified when he finally saw her, leaning against the bleachers with Finstock beside her, watching the students dance.

It took a lot of Stiles’ control not to leap across the room and bash Kate’s head into the floor as Danny led him to one of the tables on the edge of the dance floor. He had a death grip on Danny’s hand because he couldn’t do anything else. He couldn’t even stare at Kate too long because he wasn’t supposed to know who she was.

“Stiles,” Danny whispered. “Your eyes.” He blinked a few times, trying to pull the wolf back. Danny followed his gaze and squeezed his head. “Is that her?”

Stiles nodded. “I can smell Derek on her. It’s faint. Nothing I could pick up if I wasn’t looking for it, or wasn’t in the same room as her, but it’s there.”

Danny’s thumb swiped over the back of his hand. “Come dance with me,” he said all of a sudden, changing course and heading towards the dance floor instead.

Stiles let out a sigh, half for the upcoming show, and also because he really didn’t want to dance. He didn’t feel up to this plan. He just wanted to get out the dance as quickly as possible. He looked around for everyone else as Danny pulled him out onto the dance floor to the end of _Born This Way_. Allison and Scott were easy to find; they were the only couple slow dancing because apparently the concept of dancing to the pace of the song was lost on them. Jackson took a moment longer to locate, but he was at a table near the edge of the dance floor, looking completely disinterested in being there. 

The song started to wind down to a soft guitar and Stiles found himself getting pulled into an awkward embrace as Lady Antebellum’s _Need You Now_ came on. Danny snickered, and Stiles watched as he ducked his head so no one could see him starting to laugh.

“Oh god,” Danny muttered as he stepped closer to Stiles, body shaking from repressed laughter. “I was not expecting this at all.”

Stiles rested his hands on Danny’s shoulders, leaning his head back so he was looking at the ceiling. When he put his head back down he made sure to put his mouth near Danny’s ear so he could talk to him. “How much longer do I need to stay here?”

“Not much longer, I think,” Danny answered. “I’ll start the fight after this song, okay?”

Stiles nodded as Danny stepped closer to him. Stiles let out a breath. “Thanks. I just want to get him back, you know?”

“I know.” Stiles felt Danny tense up in his arms, and then take a deep breath. “I’m glad you two are… together.”

Stiles frowned. Of all the things he was expecting Danny to talk about as they faked being a couple, Derek was not on that list. Derek had been the thing they were purposefully avoiding. “What?”

Danny refused to look at him though, hiding his face in Stiles’ shoulder. “It made things a lot easier.” He pressed his lips against Stiles’ neck, but it didn’t do anything for Stiles. “Easier to make decisions, I mean. About what happens after all of this.” Stiles swallowed, not sure he liked where this was going. Danny continued talking, voice a steady whisper. “I thought for a while that maybe if I turned we could be together again, and then I realized how stupid that was. I’m not changing my life based off the whim of a guy I really liked.”

“Past tense. That’s rough,” Stiles said, because he felt like he needed to say something, anything to show he was listening.

Danny sighed, hot breath blowing against Stiles’ neck. “What I mean is… I still haven’t made a choice. I don’t know where I’ll be after this is all over. I know where some people stand, Lydia mostly, but I don’t know if the bite is what I want, for me, yet.”

Stiles squeezed Danny closer to him, wanting to assure him that Stiles would stand by him no matter what he chose, but all of a sudden Stiles was no longer holding Danny. He was on the floor on his ass and Danny looked pissed.

“What the fuck?!” Stiles demanded, and he wasn’t even exaggerating because it took him a moment to remember _plan_.

Everyone was staring at them as Danny started to talk, because of course Danny wouldn’t start off yelling right away, he was the type of person who needed to work up to full anger.

“Really, Stiles,” Danny was saying, “the whole _threesome with Lydia_ joke is getting really fucking boring.”

If people weren’t paying attention before they were now.

“I don’t care how good she looks in a dress, because _I’m not attracted to that kind of thing_ and you fucking know it. And it’s not like it’s ever going to happen anyway!” By the end of his sentence he was really starting to yell and Stiles had to admire the way Danny was working himself up. “Lydia’s too fucking good for you, and the only reason she’s even paying you any attention is because we’re together! The moment I leave you she’ll start ignoring you all over again.”

Stiles couldn’t stop his face from contorting at that comment, but he still couldn’t find any words to shout back at Danny.

Maybe it was for the best. This wasn’t supposed to be drawn out, just enough for people to remember.

“Well maybe you should!” Stiles finally shouted, interrupting whatever else Danny was saying. He scrambled to his feet, taking a few steps away from Danny so his escape would be quicker.

Danny looked taken aback for a moment and then he clenched his fists. “Maybe I am!”

“Good!” Stiles called, pushing his way through the crowd. “You sucked at sucking cock anyway!” He threw out the last retort just as he ducked through the last line of people, running out of the gymnasium before anyone could stop him.

He rushed to his Jeep, fumbling to get his key out so he could drive down the road to pick up Scott and Allison when they came out. He was unlocking his car when he smelled it. Peter. Stiles cursed, hesitating for a moment before he slammed his car door shut and relocked it, running towards Peter’s scent.

He was by the lacrosse field, Stiles could tell that much, but he didn’t know why. Peter had said he’d meet Stiles at the house, so what was he doing at the school? Stiles was pulling his phone out to text Scott that he was going to be a few minutes late when Lydia’s scent hit him.

Stiles froze.

His mind started racing, because he couldn’t understand why Lydia would be outside. He played the last few minutes he had spent inside the gymnasium over in his head, trying to remember if he had seen Lydia or not.

He thought he had, but he couldn’t remember clearly.

It didn’t matter, because Lydia was outside, and Peter was outside, and their scents were _mixing_.

She started screaming just as Stiles started running again, screaming her name.

He made it to the lacrosse field just in time to see Peter’s face shift back to human, standing up to leave Lydia’s side.

“No!” He yelled, skidding onto the grass. “What did you do?!” He demanded, one hand cradling her head in his lap as the other went to the bite. She was already unconscious, and the only thing that was vaguely reassuring was the fact that he could hear her heartbeat and breathing.

“You said you needed a distraction to get away, and she just happened to be walking around unaccompanied.” Peter smiled, wiping his mouth the back of his hand.

Stiles had to look away because that was Lydia’s blood he was smearing over his lips. His mind was racing, trying to figure out why Lydia would leave the gym. She was supposed to be keeping an eye on Kate, so unless Kate had _left_ …

Stiles cursed, and then glared at Peter. “We _had_ one.”

Peter didn’t even look guilty. “It seems you might have left that little detail out when you were telling me your plans.” He let out a sigh when Stiles didn’t answer. “Oh, don’t be so melodramatic. I had every intention of letting someone find her. Would have ruined the point of her being a distraction if I didn’t.”

Stiles set his lips in a thin line. “So you’ll let me take her back to the school?”

“Now wouldn’t that just get you noticed? However will you slip away from the hunters then? They’d notice you’re missing for sure.” Peter was mocking him, but Stiles didn’t care. His mind was already trying to figure out how to get Lydia to the hospital. She wasn’t reacting the proper way to the bite, and that _terrified_ him because if the bite didn’t turn you you died, and no. Lydia was not allowed to die.

“Fuck them finding out,” Stiles grit out, and he could _feel_ Peter’s pleasure washing over him.

“That’s the spirit. We have no reason to hide from those silly hunters. Not when we’re just going to kill them soon anyway.” Stiles felt Peter’s hand on his shoulder as he adjusted Lydia in his lap, getting ready to stand up. His phone started buzzing in his pants pocket, and Peter let out a soft chuckle. “You should probably answer that. Might be one of your humans.”

Stiles shifted Lydia in his lap, answering Scott’s phone call with a clipped, “I’m coming back to the school.”

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked, obviously picking up on the tension in Stiles’ voice. “We’re grabbing Allison’s bag from Jackson’s car.”

“Peter’s here,” Stiles said, standing up with Lydia cradled in one arm. It felt awkward, but werewolf strength made it possible. “He bit Lydia.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Scott spoke softly. “That’s good? Right? You wanted her as—“

“Her body’s rejecting the bite, Scott. She needs a hospital!” Stiles yelled before he hung up the phone, walking as quickly as he could. He refused to say what happened when the body rejected the bite out loud, because maybe if he didn’t nothing bad would happen.

He was at the edge of the parking lot when Allison, Scott, Danny and Jackson came running towards him. Allison reached him first, letting out a gasp when she saw the blood covering Lydia’s dress.

“What happened?” Jackson demanded, reaching to take Lydia from Stiles. “What happened to her, Stilinski?” Stiles could see he was struggling with himself, trying to take Lydia and shove Stiles at the same time.

“Someone needs to call 9-1-1,” Stiles said, ignoring Jackson. He did not have time for Jackson’s shit.

“Was it the alpha?” Danny asked as he pushed Jackson to the side, taking Lydia. His eyes locked on the bite and he winced. “Stupid question. Better one, she’s rejecting the bite?”

Stiles nodded dumbly. “I don’t know… Peter just _came at her_. But I need to get out of here.”

“Why was Lydia even outside?” Allison asked as Scott stepped away to call 9-1-1.

“Kate,” Stiles growled. “It’s the only reason she would have left.”

Jackson’s head snapped up, eyes wide. “She’d left the gymnasium, and Lydia went to follow her. Wanted to make sure she didn’t leave. She said she’d call if she did.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Stiles said. “I need to go. You guys wait here. Peter and I will handle this.” He looked at the four of them, hoping they would listen to him. He was getting a bad feeling about how this night was going to turn out, and he didn’t need to have any of them there if it turned bloody. “I’ll meet you all in the hospital in a few hours, with Derek.”

As Stiles ran off he heard the ambulance screaming in the distance.

***

It took Allison barely a second to make up her mind after Stiles had run off.

“I’m going after him,” she announced, turning to go back to Jackson’s car to get her backpack.

“I’m coming with you,” Scott said, voice shaking, but his face was determined.

“Me too,” Danny and Jackson said at the same time, and Allison looked at them as they began to argue.

“You need to stay with Lydia,” Danny said.

“Fuck that, you guys are _not_ leaving me,” Jackson retorted.

Before the argument could get any further Allison put her hand in between them. “Guys! We don’t have time for this. Danny, you’re coming with us. Jackson, you’re going to the hospital. You’re Lydia’s date. If you disappear you’ll be suspect number one.” She glared at him. “Whatever you do, do not tell Stiles’ dad _anything_. Mention nothing about werewolves. Do nothing that will have the police coming after us. They’ll just get caught in the crossfire.”

Jackson opened his mouth to argue but Danny stopped him with a look. He bit back whatever he was going to say, and instead said, “fine.”

“Good.” Allison could hear the ambulance coming now, and it would no doubt bring people out into the parking lot. They needed to get out of there now. “We’re taking Stiles’ Jeep. Danny, go get my bag, it’s in Jackson’s car. Be careful! We packed explosives in there!”

“On it,” Danny said, running off as Allison and Scott ran to Stiles’ Jeep.

“I can’t drive his Jeep, Allison. It’s a stick,” Scott said as he handed Allison the spare key he had in his wallet.

“It’s fine. I can.” She did a quick check that her bow and arrows were still in the backseat as she climbed into the driver’s seat. She kicked off her shoes, because driving barefoot was better than in heels, and she started the car just as Danny pulled Scott out of the passenger seat to climb into the back. Scott squeaked and looked vaguely offended as he had to wait for Danny to get into the back before he could get back in his seat.

Allison barely paid them any attention, cataloguing all the things she needed to do before they could go in to rescue Derek. She would need to change once they got to the woods, but for now Allison needed to worry about getting out of the parking lot before the ambulance showed up.

She backed out, and the car screeched just a little as she pulled away, grinding the gears as she tried to get a feel for the car. It didn’t take more than a minute, and by the time they were on the main road all the lessons her dad had given her were coming back.

Danny was pulling out the Molotov cocktail containers, taking inventory with Scott, and Allison tried to remember when this had started to feel normal.

***

Chris didn’t know why he was parked on the other side of the school waiting for Kate. He had just gotten a text from Kate telling him to pick her up. He was about to text her back and remind her that she was no longer a stupid sixteen year old who needed him to pick her up from the gun range she had been at instead of school when she tapped on the passenger side window. He gestured for her to get in, and her face lit up.

“How was the dance?” Chris asked as she got in.

“Good. The alpha showed up. I saw him attack a girl.” Chris stared at her and she gave him a look. “Oh, don’t give me that. I’m unarmed so I couldn’t exactly kill him. And I was downwind so he didn’t know I was there.”

“Is the girl alright?” Chris asked as he watched Kate reach back and pull out the shotgun he had packed under the seat. “Kate! Do you think he’s going after anyone else?”

Kate shrugged. “Don’t know. I didn’t plan on him showing up.” She smiled at him. “I bet I know where he’s going though.” She nodded to the steering wheel. “Drive, big brother.”

Chris wanted to argue, but adrenaline was rushing through his veins at the thought of the alpha _hurting_ someone. If Kate knew where he was going then Chris needed to get them there because they needed to stop the alpha. “Where?”

Kate grinned, loading her gun. “He’s gonna be going to Derek. And I bet he’ll be taking whatever beta he bit with him.”


	11. Episode 11: Come Quicker than Fedex (always reach the apex)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops that was a lot longer of a wait than i expected. sorry rl was a bitch and all this boring stuff but of course i couldn't leave this fic alone. to make up for it this chapter is back to the normal 12k and also ~_____~ stuff. please note rating change. also stuff at the bottom re: season 2 etc

Jackson sat in the hallway right outside the double doors that led into the ER. The ambulance had shown up three minutes after Allison, Danny, and Scott had abandoned him in the parking lot, and the only reason Jackson knew the exact time was because there wasn’t much else to do except stare at the minutes tick away on his phone.

Lydia hadn’t woken up by the time the paramedics got to her. She had actually started to feel clammy, the wound on her side bleeding sluggishly. The commotion had brought everyone out of the gymnasium and Jackson had begged to go with the ambulance because the other option was having to explain what was going on to people, and he wasn’t sure he was capable of doing that.

This is why he should have gone with the others. He didn’t know what lies they wanted to tell, and he knew he was going to fuck up. He played the freaked out boyfriend well though, mostly because he _was_ freaked out. This wasn’t part of the plan, and if he had even thought there was a chance of this happening to Lydia he wouldn’t have let her go.

He had though. He had been the one who let her go off unaccompanied. He should have argued with her just a bit more, instead of sitting there _moping_. But it was too late now. He couldn’t change the past. He could only hope that her body accepted the bite.

Jackson hadn’t delved into research the same way that everyone else had, but he had done _some_ reading in the week since he had found out. He’d taken printouts that Danny had in his locker, and read the few books Lydia had that were in English. So he had a basic knowledge of what happened. There were only two ways the bite could go: either Lydia’s body accepted the bite, or fever took over and she died.

There was no world that existed where Jackson wanted her to die, so he could only pray that her body accepted the bite. Yes, it would be strange knowing that she turned into some ferocious monster on the full moon, and it would probably alienate him even more from the group because he would be _different_ again, but… he could get the bite as well. Then he wouldn’t be different. He would be accepted by Lydia, and Danny.

This sounded like a good plan.

He clenched his fist in thought just as a shadow fell over him, and Jackson looked up to see the Sheriff standing there in full uniform. He swallowed because Stiles’ dad towered above him since he was sitting, and it made him look more intimidating.

“What happened?” The Sheriff demanded and Jackson’s mouth fell open.

He wasn’t expecting to get questioned here. He had come specifically so no one bothered him.

The Sheriff didn’t seem to care about what Jackson had wanted, because he barreled forward with his questions. “What the hell happened to that girl?”

“I-“ Jackson stumbled over his words. “I- I don’t know.”

“So what? You just found her like this?” Jackson watched the Sheriff take a deep breath, obviously at the end of his rope. “The doctors say she had the side of her hip ripped out, and you’re going to tell me you have no clue how that happened?”

It was on the tip of Jackson’s tongue to tell the Sheriff that he hadn’t been the one to find her, that Stiles was. That Stiles, and Allison, and Scott, and _everyone_ knew what was going on better than him, but he kept it inside, because that wasn’t what he was told to say. They didn’t want the cops following after him.

“I- Lydia left the dance.”

“Why?” The Sheriff cut in.

Jackson floundered for a moment. “I- I don’t know. She said something about- about,” he was trying to think of what to say, when it finally clicked. “Kate Argent. She was following her.”

“Kate Argent?” The Sheriff repeated, and it was like all his anger was disappearing to make room for confusion. “Who the hell is Kate Argent?”

“Allison’s aunt,” Jackson said, dropping his head. “Lydia saw her leaving and I think she wanted to talk to her? I followed after her when she didn’t come back, and found her.”

The Sheriff looked around and then beckoned one of his deputies over. “Get me contact information for Kate Argent.” The deputy nodded and then left, pulling out his radio to call into the station.

Jackson was starting to shake, not sure if he had done the right thing. They didn’t want anyone following them, and he had tried to do that.

The Sheriff turned back to him and let out a sigh. “Where’s the rest of your group? Back at the school?”

Jackson looked up in confusion. “What?”

“You know, the six of you. I’m surprised they let you come by yourself. Especially my son.”

Jackson stared slack-jawed at the Sheriff, completely lost about what he should say. “Stiles is with Derek.”

The Sheriff’s eyes locked on him and he suddenly was back to being serious, no longer vaguely relaxed like he had been in the moments before. “Derek Hale?” Jackson couldn’t do anything but nod. “Derek’s been _found_?”

Jackson felt the pit of his stomach drop out. He hadn’t realized that anyone else had known Derek was missing. This was definitely not something the others would have wanted him to tell the Sheriff, but it wasn’t like he could take it back, because even as he tried the Sheriff was already talking.

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know!” Jackson said, sinking into the seat as the Sheriff placed a hand on his shoulder. “I could have it wrong?”

The Sheriff let him go and turned to the other deputy that was still in the hallway with him. “Radio someone at the school. I want to know the locations of my son, Scott McCall, Danny Mahealani and Allison Argent.” He turned back to Jackson and pointed a finger to him as he started to walk towards the nurses’ station. “You’re staying here until we find them.”

Jackson fumbled for his phone the moment the Sheriff was out of sight, not caring about the deputy.

 _I think I fucked up._ He typed out, intent on sending the message to Danny, before he shut his eyes in frustration. No. They were probably busy and that text would just scare them.

Jackson slipped his phone back in his pocket, not sending the text.

***

Stiles ran through the woods, perfectly in step with Peter. He tried not to think about the dissonance going on his head that came from working with Peter, the war between wanting to kill him and wanting to submit to being a member of the pack again. Peter was starting to mask his insanity behind friendly words and it was confusing Stiles’ wolf instincts. It felt like the threat of a crazed alpha was disappearing, and with that his wolf’s want for a new alpha was waning. His mind knew though that it was all an act, and nothing Peter did could change their plans.

So instead Stiles kept his mind on getting to the Hale house before Kate. He knew they could get there before her; they had super speed and the ability to avoid roads on their side, but Stiles didn’t want to get overconfident. He just wanted to get there, and rescue Derek before he had to deal with seeing Derek and Kate in the same room. Stiles wasn’t sure he would be able to handle that.

He had almost ripped her throat out at the dance, and out here in the woods he would have none of the human limitations stopping him.

They burst into the clearing the Hale house was in in record time and Stiles immediately went around to the back. He could feel Peter walking at a more sedate pace behind him, but Stiles tried not to focus on Peter. Derek would be there to anchor him again and Stiles wouldn’t need to worry about submitting to Peter anymore.

He grabbed the door handle, hissing through the pain the wolfsbane that coated the metal caused him as he lifted the door up. Peter let out a low whistle.

“So dedicated.” He tsked and smiled at Stiles. “I’m glad I chose such a loyal little beta.”

He ignored Peter’s jab because he could hear two hunters talking and where hunters were, Derek probably was. He looked at Peter before he stepped down into the cellar and into a long bricked hallway that was crudely lit. The surroundings didn’t matter to Stiles because he could see just fine, and he spotted the hunters almost immediately standing at the end of the hall. He started to walk towards them, but Peter put a hand on his shoulder.

Stiles froze.

“Let me,” Peter said loud enough to grab the attention of the two hunters.

Before Stiles could even smell the switch from calm to startled coming off the hunters, Peter was in front of them, and then all Stiles could smell was blood.

He refused to let it bother him and cause him to throw up though, because he had to get Derek out. That was his priority.

Stiles blew past Peter ripping out the heart of the other hunter and he opened the door the hunters were guarding.

The room was dark but Stiles could see Derek on the other side of the room, eyes glowing blue. He felt his body relax now that he had seen Derek for the first time in two weeks. But then he tensed again at the state Derek was in.

He was chained up naked against a cage, arms suspended above his head. There were scars on Derek’s chest, marks from a knife if Stiles had to guess. His eyes darted to the wires taped to Derek’s side and Stiles gasped, crossing the room in a few quick steps.

“Finally,” Derek muttered, as Stiles tore the wires away from Derek’s side, wincing as the live electricity shocked him. “Watch it,” Derek hissed, a little too late, but Stiles didn’t care.

He stared at Derek for a moment, watching as the wounds started to slowly close up now that the electricity wasn’t stopping the healing factor. With the knowledge that Derek would be okay Stiles finally gave into the urge he had had since getting into the room and he wrapped his arms around Derek’s shoulders.

It didn’t even matter that Derek’s skin was cool and damp, and he smelled like a mixture of bad hygiene and spoiled milk. Stiles was a tactile person and touching Derek, feeling his blood rushing through his veins, was more comforting than was probably be healthy. It didn’t matter though because underneath all the bad smells was _pack_ and it was something Stiles had missed so much.

“Stiles,” Derek muttered again, arms jostling to remind Stiles he was tied up, but Stiles didn’t step back.

“Give me a moment,” he said, pressing his face into the crook of Derek’s neck – bad smell be damned. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, but can you unlock me?” Derek mumbled into Stiles’ shoulder.

Stiles stepped back reluctantly, and looked up at the shackles holding Derek’s arms up. It didn’t take much strength to pry them apart, and Derek probably could have done it himself. When Stiles pointed out as much Derek shook his head, body sagging forward into Stiles arms.

“Electricity,” he said. “It was stopping the healing process. Made me lose my strength too.”

Stiles nodded, wrapping his arms around Derek to hug him. “Come on,” he said after a moment. “Let’s get you home.” He felt Derek nod against his shoulder and Stiles shifted. He spotted Derek’s wallet on the table and he grabbed it, before looking around the room for a pair of pants so Derek wouldn’t be naked anymore. All he could find was Derek’s sneakers, which he grabbed in his other hand.

“Don’t even bother trying,” Derek said, looking up and trying to hold his weight on his own feet. It wasn’t working. “My pants were ruined.”

Stiles’ chest tightened for a moment, mind whirling with all the thoughts that he had tried to push away the moment he had seen Derek naked. “What happened?” He breathed out, trying to find some sign that things were okay and not what he was thinking.

“It wasn’t like they could let me down to use the bathroom,” Derek said flatly, and Stiles’ eyes went wide with realization and relief.

“I gotcha,” he said, wrapping his arm around Derek’s waist to support him. “We’ll just grab you some pants later. I had some in my Jeep, but then things happened and I ended up running here.”

“Things?” Derek asked as Stiles walked them out of the prison and into the hallway where Peter was standing.

He glanced Derek over and then raised his eyebrows. “Nice fashion statement.”

Derek grunted. “I’ve been locked up for what?”

“Two weeks,” Stiles supplied, fingers running up and down Derek’s side.

“That one,” Derek said, jerking his head towards Stiles. “I have been pretty much stripped of any dignity I possessed.”

Peter looked nonplussed as he turned and stepped over one of the hunters’ ripped apart bodies. “Well, it’s not like Stiles minds, I’m sure. He’s been _pining_.” Peter kept talking as he walked towards the door to get out of the basement, but Stiles blocked him out.

He looked over at Derek, squeezing his hip to get his attention. “The plan still on?” He mouthed.

Derek squinted, and Stiles repeated himself, making sure not to draw Peter’s attention. Luckily he was on a full-blown monologue and didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

“I need time,” Derek mouthed back.

Stiles nodded in understanding, because of course Derek would need to time to recover his strength. He had had it suppressed for the entire time he was tied up.

They would focus on getting out of here and after Derek was healed then they would take out Peter. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

***

“Stop the car!” Danny demanded just as Allison was turning onto the small road that led to the Hale house.

Allison cursed as she slammed on the brakes, causing everyone to jolt forward as the gears ground painfully high-pitched. The moment the Jeep was stopped Allison was turning around to look at Danny. “What?!”

Danny ignored her as he reached forward as far as he had to, to flick the lights off. “I saw a car,” he whispered.

“What?!” Allison said again, this time a lot lower as she looked back out the front window to try and find the car Danny had seen. It was hard because it was now pitch black and her eyes needed a moment to adjust.

“There!” Scott called out, and then covered his mouth just as quickly.

Allison’s head swiveled towards where Scott was pointing. She narrowed her eyes, like that would help her see in the dark. She could vaguely see the outline of a large SUV off in the distance, mostly hidden behind brush and trees.

“Do you think they’re still around to have seen us?” Scott asked quietly.

Danny snorted. “Stiles probably heard that braking job all the way at the house.”

Allison slowly turned the car off, because Danny was right, the idling of the Jeep was loud as everything in the quiet of the woods. They would be better off walking the rest of the way. “Get me my bag so I can change,” Allison muttered, holding her hand out for Danny to pass her change of clothes. “Cover your eyes,” Allison said to Scott just as she wrapped her hand around the handle of the bag, intent on pulling it forward.

Someone knocking on the window of the Jeep caused Allison to drop the bag, though, letting out a shriek as she did.

At least she wasn’t alone in screaming in terror, because Scott and Danny both screamed with her, all three of them jumping as they turned to see who was there.

Allison’s eyes went wide.

It was her dad.

“Fuck,” she cursed, and then covered her mouth as her dad frowned and motioned for her to roll down the window. She smiled as much as she could as she cranked the window down. “Dad! What a surprise!”

He looked at her, and then glanced at Scott and Danny. “You too,” he said slowly, and then he leaned back to admire the parking job she had done in the middle of the road. Allison’s eyes locked on the gun he had tucked in the shoulder holster he was wearing, and she bit her lip.

_Fuck, he was hunting._

“What are you three doing here? Don’t you have the dance tonight?”

Allison made a face as she gripped the steering wheel.

“Don’t tell him anything,” Danny whispered, and Allison felt his hand on her bicep. She looked down quickly and saw Danny had managed to pull one of her arrows up and was trying to hand it to Scott without her dad noticing.

She looked back at her dad and smiled weakly. “We’re running off in the woods to have a threesome?” The look of shock on her dad’s face was priceless and he stumbled back just enough that Allison felt safe turning the Jeep on, shifting it into gear. “Okay bye!” She called, hoping to reverse the Jeep fast enough, but her dad recovered quickly.

He put a hand on the car door and spoke over the rumbling. “Allison.”

She winced as she carefully applied the brakes, even as she saw Scott and Danny tensing beside her.

“The truth,” her father said harshly and Allison bit her lip.

It was Scott who spoke up. “Your crazy sister is holding Derek hostage in the cellar of his old house.”

“The one _she_ burned down,” Danny continued, voice flat.

Allison closed her eyes, because she hadn’t considered that. Stiles had mentioned both facts: Derek was being kept under his house, and Kate had been the one to burn the Hale house six years ago, but it hadn’t connected in the way it did now. This was so much more torturous than Allison had originally thought.

“What?” Her father asked, face dropping into an emotionless mask.

“You heard us,” Scott said, shifting so he was closer to the other window. His face was determined though, no matter how scared he looked. “Kate has Derek, and we need to get there before anyone _dies_.”

Allison watched her father’s face shift, trying to become calm. It wasn’t working. “No one’s going to kill anyone.”

Danny laughed. “Why? Because of the code?” Her dad’s eyes narrowed and pinned the three of them with a cold look. It didn’t stop Danny. “I doubt that murderer will care about _the code_ when she’s faced with the alpha and two betas trying to escape. Screw the fact that the betas haven’t _done_ anything and one of them is only sixteen.”

Allison’s mouth was dry as she turned the car off again and undid her seatbelt. “We’re wasting time,” she said holding out her hand for her bow. “Let’s go.”

She pushed open her door, pushing her dad back. He still wasn’t talking but it didn’t matter. She could see the shock in his face and it told her that no matter what he said she wouldn’t like it. She heard Scott open his door and she held the driver’s side door open for Danny. He handed her her shoes when he got out.

“You should at least use these,” he said with a smile, nodding to the fact she was still in her dress, and Allison took them as she hung her bow on her shoulder.

“Allison,” her dad said. “This is no place for you.”

“Why? Because I don’t know what I’m dealing with?” She refused to look at him as Danny and Scott fumbled with the backpack, dividing up the explosives. “We know everything we need to know.”

“You planned this,” he said flatly.

Allison nodded. “We didn’t intend for Kate to be here. But she is.”

“Then the explosives are for?”

“The alpha,” Allison said, finally looking at him. “We can’t have a fully functioning pack while he’s around. So Derek is going to kill him and become the alpha.”

She watched her dad’s face twist. “Allison, I don’t disagree but you are too young—“

“Kate didn’t think so. She was the one who showed me where Derek was. She was trying to make me like her. Like you.”

“Allison-“ her dad said.

She turned away from him. “Are we ready?”

Scott nodded, putting the bag back in the Jeep. “We’ll need to hurry.”

“I can run in these.” She started to follow them but her dad grabbing her arm stopped her.

“Allison, listen to me. You _don’t_ know what you’re dealing with. No matter what you think.”

She shook off his hand, or tried to at least. “I know the alpha attacked Lydia earlier tonight, and that the bite better take because she’s going to be the best beta there is, and with her and Stiles helping Derek run the pack nothing is going to go wrong. I know that Kate killed an innocent family just because of some misperceived threat, and she ran Derek off the road and kept him locked in his own house for two weeks just to _torture_ him, because she knew he’d never give up his pack. And I know you’re going to let me go so I can help my friends, _my pack_ , or you will no longer have a daughter.”

Her dad didn’t drop her arm right away, but slowly he started to nod and loosened his grip. “I’m coming with you.”

“Fine. But I’m in charge,” Allison said, snatching her arm out of his grip. “Let’s go.”

***

Of course it had been too easy, Stiles thought as the final steps out of cellar were blocked by Peter’s back. There was a moment when he was going to ask what was going on, and that they should get out of there quickly, but then he felt Derek tense in his arms, and Kate’s smell finally hit his nose.

 _Shit_.

He glanced around Peter, finally able to get up on the last steps and onto solid ground. Kate was there, alone.

She didn’t say anything as she hid partially behind the shotgun on her hip. If nothing else she was smart. Stiles had to give her that. Her eyes glanced over them, and Stiles could see the faint smile tugging on her lips as she looked at him, almost like a victory.

She probably had had her suspicions that he was the beta, but no proof. Until now.

Stiles didn’t care as he adjusted his grip on Derek, moving slightly in front of him as he dropped Derek’s shoes so he had at least one hand free. Peter still stood in front of them, his body half-blocking Stiles and Derek, and he wondered if it was intentional. Peter was still their alpha, a fact Stiles was aware of right underneath his skin. It hadn’t gone away with the rescue of Derek, and had only grown worse because the three of them were working together as a pack.

It was a dangerous feeling.

Stiles darted his eyes to Peter, waiting for a sign. Kate still wasn’t saying anything, probably trying to calculate wolf speed versus her own reflexes.

They had her outnumbered, even if Derek was still weak, and unless she had backup waiting, it was foolish to think she could win. She might hurt one of them, might even kill one of them, but she’d be overwhelmed quickly.

Peter stretched out his arm, and the movement caught Stiles’ eyes.

It caught Kate’s as well, and her gun jerked just a little. She was tracking his movements, and Peter laughed.

“Not very smart of you, going at this alone.” His voice carried across the distance of the yard. “The problem with you humans, it seems, is your love of solitary fights.”

That brought forth a reaction from Kate. “And how’d that whole pack thing work out for you during the fire?”

Stiles heard his growl join Peter’s just as the shotgun blasted, pellets scattering. On instinct he pushed Derek further behind him and Stiles felt a small spray of them hit his leg, the smell of his blood filling the air, but he couldn’t smell any blood from Derek, so he counted that as a win.

Peter’s roar joined Derek’s, and he lunged forward, shifting into the black monstrosity of his alpha form. Stiles dropped to his good knee, and he tore at the material of his good slacks to try and get out the shrapnel before his skin healed over it.

“Quick,” he hissed, as Derek joined him on the ground, claws ripping open the skin of his thigh to get out the larger chunks of metal. They would need to go over the work later, when they had time.

When Stiles wasn’t concerned about Peter killing Kate before he had a chance to.

He grit his teeth as he let Derek use both hands to work at his leg. He hadn’t realized the desire to kill her was so strong. Hadn’t realized he had decided that he _would_ actually kill her.

Must have happened sometime between finding Derek and seeing her. Maybe if she hadn’t shown up. If she had just been smart and stayed away.

Derek wasn’t even wolfed out the entire way, and he was using human fingers to dig into Stiles flesh. He had been hung up and tortured for too long, and it had been _Kate’s_ fault. Kate was responsible for everything, and Stiles was going to make her pay.

He shook off Derek’s hand as soon as he felt most of the larger chunks disappear. He wouldn’t set off airport security anymore.

“Stiles!” Derek shouted as he twisted, springing to his feet even as the wound still bled sluggishly.

Stiles didn’t care. He could see Kate underneath Peter a few meters away, gun already out of ammo, and Peter open mouthed above her.

He needed to do this _now_ if he was going to at all.

Peter registered his approach, backing off slightly from Kate, but still keeping her pinned. Good. If she had been given even an inch Stiles had no doubt she would find a way out.

All humans had that self-preservation that ran deeper than most insanity.

Derek was still by the cellar door, and he would probably stay there while Stiles did this.

It was funny, actually, watching as Kate _relaxed_ at seeing him. Stiles wasn’t sure she knew what was coming. She probably just saw his face. His human face, because he wasn’t shifted. Not yet. He wanted her to remember his human face when he dug his claws into her throat. But she saw that face and she saw weakness. She saw compassion, no doubt.

“Let me,” Stiles whispered, and Peter growled as he took another step back, letting go of Kate.

She tried to run, springing into action despite seeming relaxed, but Stiles grabbed her. He grabbed her right around the throat and squeezed, and it may have been too quick, it may have been way more than she deserved, but Stiles didn’t care.

Her neck snapped under his hand and blood started to pour onto his flesh as he dug his claws in. Her eyes held onto life longer than he had expected, her body still twitching in his grasp.

He’d killed her, the person who started all of this with that fire.

Stiles felt powerful.

And of course that was the moment he got shot again.

***

Derek watched with horror as Stiles dropped to the ground, the air tingeing with more of his blood.

“Stiles!” he shouted as he ran to Stiles’ side, hand going to his shoulder. Derek looked up, sniffing the air as he searched the woods for Kate’s backup.

“Dad!” He heard Allison shout and as he focused he heard another few shouts of indignation and the start of a tussle.

The pack.

The humans.

They must have followed Stiles and stumbled upon Allison’s dad in the woods.

Peter howled as he located them as well, stepping on Kate’s body as he stalked towards the pack, getting in the way as another bullet fired.

“Dammit, I told them not to follow me,” Stiles said grouchily as his palm pressed on his shoulder wound. Derek didn’t know what to say to that as he pulled Stiles hand away so he could see the damage. “It was through and through,” Stiles said, shifting to watch Peter rush towards the pack as an arrow – Allison – fired right at his chest. “No wolfsbane. I’m _fine_.”

Derek could smell there was no wolfsbane. That didn’t stop him from worrying because Stiles wasn’t healing as fast as he should have. That was probably a mixture of exhaustion and getting shot twice in quick succession. Derek could only imagine how the time they were separated had been for Stiles.

“Lemme up,” Stiles muttered, shifting to get away from Derek’s grip. “Need to help.”

Derek’s eyes widened as Stiles began to shift and he tightened his hold as much as he could. Stiles tensed as Derek held him down. “You’re hurt.”

“Peter needs our help,” Stiles said, trying to fight him some more.

Derek felt his stomach drop, because that was not who needed their help. He heard Peter howl but he couldn’t look to see what was happening. “You’re worried for him,” Derek said flatly, because that was all he _could_ say. Maybe hearing it would snap Stiles out of it. “It’s the connection.”

Stiles’ head snapped to the side so he could look at Derek. “What?”

“Alpha to beta. You killed for him, cemented your pack position.” Derek growled as he thought about how hard it would be to take out Peter now. “Why would you do that?”

Stiles’ eyes bled gold as he hissed in pain. “She hurt you.”

This was not good.

Peter howled as another arrow was embedded in his front leg. This arrow exploded, and Derek was impressed as he could be with Allison’s composure during the middle of a fight.

Derek needed to get in there though, because there was no way four humans would be able to hold Peter off. Not when Peter was in full protective alpha mode.

Someone had to stay with Stiles or else he would just be a distraction. This would have been so much easier if the pack hadn’t followed Stiles.

Derek didn’t even have time to think about why this was happening, and it frustrated him. Movement caught his eyes and Derek used all his strength to keep Stiles still as he turned.

Scott was creeping around the other side of the house.

Derek’s eyes went wide for a moment and then he motioned for Scott to come closer to him.

Which wasn’t working because Scott was too busy staring at Peter.

“Scott!” Derek shouted, holding Stiles back so he couldn’t run towards Peter.

Scott’s head swiveled and he looked surprised when he saw Derek and Stiles. _Why did Scott have to be the one going around back_? Derek thought as he motioned Scott to come closer.

He nodded, running low to the ground so he was beside Derek and Stiles.

“Fuck, what’s going on?” Scott hissed as he stared at Stiles, face red.

“I need you to stay with Stiles,” Derek said.

“What?!” Both boys said at the same time, Stiles sounding more indignant than Scott.

Derek didn’t pay attention to Stiles, focusing his attention on Scott until he finally got it. “Hold onto him and make sure he doesn’t get away from you.”

Scott’s eyes went crazy as he finally looked Derek’s way, widening as he tried desperately not to look down, but inevitably unable to stop himself. Derek didn’t have time for human modesty. He snapped his fingers to get Scott’s attention. He blinked in surprise, looking up at Derek. “But he’s like 300,000 times stronger than me!”

Derek _did not_ have time for this. Chris and Allison were barely keeping Peter’s attention occupied. “Killing Kate with Peter connected them. They’re _pack_ and Peter is the alpha, and Stiles is a hurt beta. You need to appeal to his rational mind so he doesn’t do something stupid on instinct.” Scott’s breath caught for a moment and Derek used the silence to transfer Stiles over to Scott. “Just keep talking to him.”

“But why me?” Scott asked.

 _Seriously?_ Derek huffed as he stood. “You’re his best friend. You’ll be able to keep him grounded almost as well as I would.”

He leapt into action before Scott could protest. He had to just trust that Scott could get the job done so Derek could do his best at distracting Peter, and possibly even killing him.

Derek hesitated for just a moment as he approached Peter, not even worrying about if Peter could sense him. If he was running on alpha instinct he would think Derek was on his side. Without rational thought he wouldn’t consider that Derek would try to stop him.

Peter had four arrows in him, two in the chest, and one in each leg. It had to hurt, but Peter didn’t seem to notice as he lunged for one of the humans.

They had at least been smart enough to separate.

Derek saw Danny dodge, clutching a backpack in his hand.

Another arrow went flying into Peter’s side, and it distracted Peter enough that he twisted away from Danny. Derek lunged, tucking himself into a ball as much as he could so when he sunk his claws into Peter’s side he was a smaller target and less flesh was showing.

Less flesh could be hit.

Peter howled and tried to buck Derek off of him, but Derek held on, slicing his claws down Peter’s side. Blood was pouring onto his hands, and Derek was afraid he would never be able to smell anything else after this. It would just be blood and fire and nightmares for the rest of his life.

He couldn’t stop though.

Derek heard the gunfire, and Peter jolted a few times before he finally managed to toss Derek off of him.

Derek slid to his feet as he fell, taking fur and flesh with him. He couldn’t think about it though, as he leapt for Peter again.

Peter was expecting him though, and Derek was swatted away. He grunted as he landed on the ground in a pile of limbs, legs upended over his head.

Peter’s eyes bore into Derek for a moment before he turned and headed for the humans again. He was headed straight for someone, and because Derek could see Danny struggling to get whatever was in the backpack out it couldn’t be him.

Another arrow came flying from the opposite direction, signaling Allison’s position. So Peter was headed towards Chris.

Derek climbed to his feet. He still wasn’t at full strength, but they needed to stop Peter. They needed to take him down.

“Derek, wait!” Danny called as Derek tried to run after Peter. He was holding three glass containers with liquid in them and Derek raised an eyebrow, impatient. “Give me a clear shot and I’ll toss these on him. They’re the explosives.”

Derek’s mind whirled, because if Danny had explosives then Lydia made them, which meant the original plan involved the others. How it had gotten like this Derek could only imagine. But he nodded and then took off after Peter.

Now they had a plan, a goal, and when Derek rushed into Peter this time, pushing him off of Chris Argent, it was with the knowledge that he would be dead soon.

Hopefully.

Derek heard Chris scramble away, and the gun went off twice more, until it clicked to signal he was out of bullets.

Derek didn’t care as he was thrown to the side by Peter. He knew he was going to have so many cuts and bruises that might take a few hours to heal. He was just lucky nothing serious had happened yet.

Peter growled at him, and Derek growled back, dropping low to knock into Peter again.

This time he managed to get Peter to the ground, and Danny was _finally_ within range so once Derek felt safe in the knowledge that Danny had a clear shot they could end this.

He tussled for a few more moments, claws tearing into Peter some more until he was pushed back, Peter’s claws ripping into his chest.

“Danny, now!” Derek shouted as he slid away from Peter, throwing his arm in front of Chris to push him back.

No need for a human to get hurt.

Danny flung the first glass container and it hit Peter square in the chest. Derek waited for a beat, terrified it wasn’t going to work again, but then – BANG – fire erupted on Peter’s chest.

The flames didn’t engulf him right away. It took Danny chucking the second one for that to occur.

Peter’s howl echoed throughout the woods, sending a chill down Derek’s spine as he watched Peter burn.

He could hear Stiles let out an echoing whimper, but Scott must have been doing a good job of keeping him in control.

Peter went running for a few yards, trying to get the fire off of him. He was making awful noises, and the smell of burnt flesh, fur and blood stung Derek’s nose. Hell, it probably stung everyone’s nose, if the way Danny’s eyes were watering was any indication.

Peter fell to the ground, rolling instinctually as he did, until the flames went out.

Derek held his breath for a moment, but he still heard Peter breathing. It wasn’t over yet.

Derek took a deep breath as he approached Peter’s burnt body, claws already out.

Neither Chris nor Danny tried to stop him, and Derek heard someone running through the woods. He didn’t look back, but he could smell Allison, Scott and Stiles so they must have been coming to see what was happening.

Derek couldn’t look at them though. Just Peter, laid out before him.

He looked up at Derek, body completely ruined. Even if Derek just left him there, there was no chance of recovery. Peter would be dead within the hour more than likely.

But Derek couldn’t risk it. He raised his claws just as Peter opened an eye.

The alpha healing factor was quick.

Peter stared at him for a moment, and it looked like he wanted to … do something with his face. Smile maybe? “So it’s like this?” He managed to get out.

Derek didn’t say what he was thinking, that if Peter had just been able to control himself – if Chris hadn’t attacked Stiles, maybe this wouldn’t have happened like this. Maybe they could have been a pack, now that everyone Peter had been after was dead…

It didn’t matter. It didn’t play out like that, so why bother thinking about the what-ifs.

The transfer of power rushed through his body almost immediately after he had ripped out Peter’s throat. It took him by surprise how quickly it occurred and the intensity of the powers.

Derek felt himself heal, the superficial cuts knitting up, and it felt different than his normal healing. Quicker. Also he was suddenly, _fiercely_ , aware of Stiles’ everything. His heartbeat, his breathing, the rate he was healing. He could hear and feel those things with the others too: Scott, Allison, and Danny, but it wasn’t the same.

They were human – for now – members of the pack. Important, and useful, but not _Stiles_. Not his beta.

His beta who was pushing Scott away at the edge of the clearing they were in. He was mostly healed but he was still covered in blood. Both his own and Kate’s.

Stiles looked wild, and he was gesturing at the others to shoo, but Derek couldn’t imagine why.

“Get out of here,” Stiles finally snapped before he turned and bolted.

Derek rushed after him, not even aware of what was happening until he was chasing Stiles down, tackling him to the ground and grinding his cock against the fabric of Stiles’ pants.

 _Oh_. Derek hadn’t even realized that’s what he had wanted. His instincts were going haywire, and he was still running off of adrenaline.

He should apologize. Reign himself back in.

He’d just killed an alpha, and he should probably take a while to understand the new powers coursing through his body.

But then he actually looked down at Stiles, laid out underneath him and it was hard to want to do that.

Stiles’ eyes were gold, and while he wasn’t shifted just yet, he looked like he could let himself go at any moment.

Derek wanted him to lose it. He wanted Stiles to let go, to trust him.

Yeah, that was it.

Stiles lunged up, kissing Derek fiercely for a quick moment before pulling away to bite down the column of his neck. Derek didn’t blame him; he knew he hadn’t showered more than the cold hose Kate would spray on him every morning to clean him off before she started her taunting.

This wasn’t the time to think about this.

This was a time to think about Stiles. To focus on him. To focus on the alpha power thrumming through his veins and what it told him to do to make Stiles truly his. Truly pack.

Derek liked the idea of that. He liked it a lot, and from the way Stiles was trying to bite his way into Derek’s skin he seemed to like that idea too.

“Need you.” Derek finally was able to vocalize, and it felt so good to say out loud.

“Yes, good. Let’s do that,” Stiles said breathily, curling his fingers into Derek’s shoulders, and lifting his hips off of the ground.

Derek gave a sharp nip to his shoulder and then he flipped Stiles over, pulling him up to his knees. Stiles went, hands curling into the dirt as Derek worked his pants off with one hand. The other was stroking his cock already, because he was hard, and it was starting to hurt.

They didn’t have any lube so Derek couldn’t do everything he wanted, couldn’t claim Stiles the way he should. But that could wait. They had time. He’d get them off first. It should sate them – sate him – long enough to get somewhere more comfortable.

Maybe back to their room.

Derek liked that idea.

He licked the back of Stiles’ neck as he bent over him, pressing his cock against Stiles’ ass. Stiles moaned and wiggled underneath him, bare skin grinding deliciously against Derek.

He couldn’t help himself from biting at Stiles, and there was a certain thrill that came with seeing the bite mark _stay_. And the deeper he bit the longer the bites stayed.

Stiles was gasping beneath him, leaning down on his forearms. Derek didn’t mind. The angle made it better as he started to rub his cock against Stiles.

“Fuck,” Stiles cursed, and Derek felt him slip closer to the ground as he pulled one arm up, reaching down to grasp his erection.

Derek could hear him starting to jack himself off, and he growled, leaning up. Stiles whimpered, but Derek was just trying to adjust himself. If he was going to rub against Stiles he needed it to be somewhere good.

It only took a moment to decide, and another to maneuver Stiles the way he needed. He pushed Stiles’ thighs closer together, creating a tight space that he could fuck into.

The friction would hurt eventually, but Derek didn’t think this would last that long. He could already smell Stiles getting close, because he hadn’t stopped stroking himself while Derek had decided how he was going to get off, but that was okay. Even if he came first Derek would just fuck his pliant body.

Stiles wouldn’t mind.

Derek groaned as he pushed his cock into the space of Stiles’ thighs, started a pace that wasn’t so much thrusting but more of a rolling of his hips. It felt good though, and sometimes if he angled it just right his cock would bump against Stiles’ balls and they would both let out gasps.

It was fast, and dirty, and loud.

Stiles was pressing his face into his forearm, trying not to eat leaves as his mouth hung open. Derek loved watching his face, and he was glad Stiles had turned his head to the side so he could look at it while he fucked him. He wondered what it would look like when Derek was inside him, when Derek’s knot was trapped inside him.

Derek needed that. He was going to do that. Soon. Very soon.

Stiles’ face contorted as he came, his entire body tensing. His thighs quivered and it made Derek shudder as he leaned back, trying to finish himself off. He could smell the heady scent of Stiles’ come in the air and he couldn't wait to taste it.

With that thought in mind Derek pulled back, grabbing his cock and stroking a few more times until he was coming in stripes on Stiles’ back. He let out a low moan as he came. Stiles looked so good covered in his come.

He probably smelled even better, a mix of the two of them and sex.

Derek’s knees were ruined, and they both would need a shower but it was okay. They were okay. They were together.

***

Stiles was covered in dirt and blood. The dirt was caked into the blood that was on his hands, and basically he needed a shower. A very long, hot shower, preferably with Derek beside him because now that Stiles had had him he wasn’t sure he could go without. Derek was going to be stuck with him, for more reasons than the fact that they were pack.

And that sent a thrill through Stiles’ body. Derek was the alpha now, and Stiles could _feel_ the difference. He had gotten a taste of it in the final minutes of Peter’s life, after he had killed Kate. He had known there was a risk when he killed her, that they would become connected like that. That his wolf might accept Peter and it would cause problems, but Derek had fixed that.

They were together now. Derek was who his wolf would answer to, and it would work because Derek answered to Stiles. They balanced each other. They were equals, even at different ranks.

The others beta wouldn’t be equals, but that was okay. It would fit into their dynamic.

Shit, the others. They needed to check on them. They should regroup, and then… then Stiles would need to tell Derek about Lydia. They would need to figure out what to do with her. How to make sure she survived.

Derek nuzzled into his neck, and then he licked him. Stiles liked that. He liked it a lot, but it was distracting him from reality and as much as he wanted to be distracted from reality they had responsibility.

“What’s the matter?” Derek asked, voice drawling and breath rushing over Stiles neck.

Stiles had to shift to look at Derek properly. “You mean besides being on the ground?”

“You don’t mind that,” Derek said, looking up at Stiles with a faint smile.

For someone who had been tortured for two weeks he was acting decently well adjusted. Stiles worried that once everything settled down the fallout would start to creep in. He had no idea what had happened, and a part of him didn’t want to know. He had already killed Kate based off of his imagination; it wasn’t like he could dig her up and do it all over again once his imagination was replaced with reality.

“We have things we need to do,” Stiles said instead. They would handle the fallout together, when – if – it came.

Derek hummed as he kissed Stiles’ neck. “We do.”

Stiles shifted on the ground. “Besides that. Like clean up, and making sure Mr. Argent isn’t getting the police.”

Derek went silent for a long moment. “No one is by the house. Haven’t been for about twenty minutes. It’s just the bodies.”

Stiles couldn’t stop himself from being surprised, but it made sense. Derek was probably aware of a lot more than he would be aware of beforehand. “I really hope they didn’t take my Jeep. I had a change of clothes for you in there.”

Derek stood up, stretching his arms over his head before offering a hand to Stiles. “That I can’t tell just yet. Your Jeep doesn’t have a specific smell. Do you know where they parked?”

“No idea. Like I said, I told them not to come.”

“Well, it’s a good thing they didn’t listen.” Derek frowned for a minute before shaking his head. “We won. If they hadn’t been here we wouldn’t have attacked Peter.”

“And you wouldn’t be alpha,” Stiles whispered, following Derek as he trekked back to the house.

Derek grunted in agreement, and because Stiles knew him he could hear the pleased tone in that grunt. Their plans were going the way they wanted, and even though they had been built in bloodshed, it didn’t stop Stiles from feeling his own pleasure in the whole affair.

He looked around, trying to spot his Jeep in the woods.

“You look,” Derek said, heading back towards the house, purposefully avoiding the bodies. “I’m grabbing shovels.”

Stiles quirked his head. “Where were the shovels?”

“In the room I was kept in.” Derek didn’t elaborate.

Stiles swallowed his anger and reminded himself that Kate was _dead_ and so were the hunters she had brought with her. He focused instead on seeing if his Jeep was nearby.

It took a bit of walking, but he did finally stumble upon it, and thankfully the bag with the change of clothes was still tucked into the backseat. Stiles stripped off his ruined button down, and slacks, replacing them with one of Derek’s Henley shirts and his jeans. Perfect for burying dead bodies.

When he returned to the clearing with the backpack Derek had two shovels. Stiles tossed him the clothes he had packed, and Derek put them on before grabbing his shoes from the front of the house. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that he wasn’t clean. They were just going to get dirty anyway, so Stiles said nothing.

Digging a grave was tough, even with the super strength. The ground wasn’t soft until they got about a foot down, and then digging the hole out wide enough was a task in and of itself.

Chris showed up when they were about three feet down. He gave them a cool look and went to Kate’s body. Derek didn’t say anything, focusing on digging, so Stiles took it upon himself to handle the diplomatic part of hunter/werewolf relationships.

“Thanks for taking them back into town.”

Chris finally looked over at them. “How long have you been bitten?”

Stiles arched an eyebrow. “What? You want me to divulge pack secrets?”

Chris opened his mouth, and then thought better of whatever he was going to say. “If you’re trying to go for a truce we need to be on a fair playing ground knowledge-wise.”

“A truce?” Stiles wasn’t going to ask something stupid like _how can I trust you_ because he had a feeling he knew. Allison was pack and he was pretty sure her father was smart enough to realize that. He seemed like the kind of guy who put family first, and if putting family first meant putting aside his werewolf hunting ways then so be it.

“As long as you two don’t harm any humans,” he hesitated, “or turn anyone.”

“Unfair,” Stiles said immediately. “We need three betas to make a pack.”

Chris met his eyes for a moment before they flicked away, looking behind Stiles. Derek had stopped shoveling and when Stiles glanced behind at him he saw his eyes were bleeding red.

“Not Allison,” Chris said quickly. “And the other girl – Lydia – was turned.”

Derek tensed behind Stiles, a low growl coming up from his diaphragm. “What?”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Stiles said before turning to Derek. “Peter bit her. The bite knocked her unconscious.”

“She’s at the hospital,” Chris supplied. “That’s where I took the other three. But if she does turn then you only need one more.”

“And if she doesn’t we’ll need two more,” Derek spoke up.

Stiles could hear Chris’ heartbeat picking up before he pushed it to be steady. “Fine. But you can’t bite anyone without their consent, and your betas need to be under control.”

“Done,” Stiles and Derek said at the same time.

“And then you keep hunters away from us,” Stiles said, picking his shovel back up. “We will only attack if we are attacked.”

“Keep a low profile and I’ll try my best.”

“Do better than your best,” Stiles snapped. He didn’t throw Allison in Chris’ face. He didn’t think it was necessary because Chris probably knew already. That’s why he had demanded they don’t choose her.

Chris kneeled besides Kate. “I’m going to file a missing persons in a few days. I’m planting this pendant on her. Allison said it was a link the police had?” Stiles nodded. “It will make the alpha murders fall on her, and I’ll make sure any questioning hunters think the old alpha killed her. It will satisfy most of them.”

“But not all of them,” Derek said flatly.

“No,” Chris agreed. “But it’s the most I can do. Keep your heads down. I’ll—I’ll look out for you as much as I can.”

“And the pack will keep Allison safe.”

Stiles snorted. “More like Allison will keep Allison safe.”

A faint smile crossed Chris’ face, before it fell to the side as he picked Kate up. Stiles noticed he tried to keep her in the same angle as he moved her so that way the blood that had already settled one way stayed there. It would make it harder for the coroner to know the body had been moved. A few days in the elements wouldn’t hurt either.

Stiles took a deep breath and went back to digging Peter’s grave.

“Are we going to the hospital after this?” He asked, looking at Derek.

Derek shook his head as he tossed dirt up onto the pile beside the grave. “Not yet. Text Scott and ask him for a status report. If it’s something important we’ll go, but if there isn’t any news we’re going to find a bed and I am going to fuck you.”

Stiles couldn’t stop himself from smirking. “I see you have your priorities in order.”

“Need to satisfy the alpha,” Derek grunted.

“I can handle that,” Stiles said as he licked his lips. “Definitely.”

Stiles didn’t have a watch but he knew it was nearing midnight by the time they finished digging the grave. Chris had left after he had set up Kate’s body and kicked away as much of the settled blood as he could. He didn’t say anything before he left, just gave them a look.

It was going to be a shaky truce at best, but at least it was getting there.

They finished burying Peter and planting the wolfsbane that Derek insisted on (not as much as Laura had, just a little) within the hour. They were both covered in dirt as they climbed into Stiles’ Jeep, and even with the healing factor Stiles still felt sore as he checked his phone.

There was only one message from Scott reading, _lydia in icu and in coma. were spending the night._

Stiles gave the phone to Derek as he started his Jeep, driving out of the woods. “Where to?”

“The motel,” Derek said. “There’s a 24 hour quick mart across the street. I’ll grab supplies. We’ll only need the room for a few hours.”

Stiles couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “I love that we can take a moment out of our crazy life to have a booty call. In a pay-by-the-hour motel.”

Derek shrugged. “We need it. At least the shower. We’ll be no good to anyone in the hospital right now.”

“This is true. It’s just… didn’t think our first time would be like this.”

“It wasn’t. It was in the woods.” Derek flashed a smile that was more fang than anything else and Stiles wanted to punch him in the face for being so comfortable with this. Shouldn’t there be more questions about what they were going to do?

Maybe not. Maybe this was the best way to handle this. It distracted Stiles from freaking out because he _had_ killed someone just a few hours ago. He still had her blood under his nails.

He shouldn’t be thinking about that, because he didn’t regret it. He would do it again if given the chance. Better to focus on the impending sex.

Stiles pulled up to the motel and he fished in his ruined slacks for Derek’s wallet. He handed it over and Derek climbed out of the Jeep, running across the street to the quick mart. Stiles could only imagine what the person behind the counter thought of Derek, but then again anyone who worked the midnight shift probably saw some crazy things.

Same for whoever was working behind the counter of the motel. Derek didn’t say anything though as he came back to the Jeep with the key to a room at the far end of the motel. It wasn’t the same room Derek had had when he had stayed in this motel when they first met, but it looked exactly the same.

“I bought five hours,” Derek said as he shut the door and pulled off his shirt.

Stiles couldn’t stop himself from shaking his head, because that was just ridiculous. This was really happening in the seediest possible way, and he was _okay with that_. “That’s not shady at all.”

“They had a deal,” Derek said with a grin, kicking off his sneakers. “Forty for five hours instead of the normal fifty.”

“You’re horrible,” Stiles said, pulling his own shirt off. “I’ll meet you in the shower. Brush your teeth first.”

Derek didn’t respond to that as he grabbed the plastic bag of stuff he had bought (lube, travel-sized toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant) and followed Stiles into the bathroom.

Stiles turned on the shower, shucking his pants as he grabbed a washcloth from the rack. The bathroom was visibly clean at least, though when Stiles stepped under the lukewarm spray dirt began to stain the bottom of the tub.

It only got worse when Derek joined him, and Stiles stepped to the side so Derek could get fully under the water. He stared for a moment as Derek seemed to lose himself in the sensation, because it was such a nice picture. He didn’t want to ruin it, but he also wanted to kiss him, and if Derek had done what he had asked, then it wouldn’t taste like bad breath when he did.

Derek opened his eyes and looked at Stiles.

And then he leaned over and kissed him. He tasted like mint and Stiles grinned as he returned the kiss, hand going to Derek’s bicep so he had something to keep him steady as Derek spun them around, trapping Stiles against the wall.

Stiles made sure his back didn’t have the soap dispenser digging into it, and then he relaxed into Derek’s kisses. They hadn’t gotten to do this, and Stiles was enjoying it.

Derek kissed softly, or at least he started off slow. Then he took a step forward, pressing their naked bodies together, hips rolling, and suddenly the kiss was a lot more intense. There was tongue, and Derek’s hand was cupping the side of Stiles’ face.

Stiles moaned into the kiss, spreading his legs just a little so Derek could fit himself better between them. It was the first time they were naked together, and the sensation of their cocks sliding together felt amazing.

Derek broke the kiss to move down to Stiles’ neck, but Stiles really didn’t want that. Not yet. Not when he could have Derek’s mouth. He grabbed the back of Derek’s head and pulled him back up for another kiss, arching his hips.

He gasped in Derek’s mouth and Derek answered with a growl.

“Wanted to taste you,” Derek said in between kisses. He snuck down to suck a red mark into Stiles’ neck, before Stiles pulled him back for another kiss.

He could not get enough of Derek’s mouth.

But if that mouth was what Derek wanted to use… Stiles supposed he could let him go.

“Fine,” he finally said, threading his fingers into Derek’s hair and pushing him down.

Derek chuckled, but let himself sink to his knees. The water was still lukewarm, and that was good. It would suck if it suddenly got freezing cold.

“Of course _now_ you want me to move,” Derek said as he bit the inside of Stiles’ leg gently. Most of the dirt had been washed away, though Stiles hadn’t used soap yet.

It was okay though. Derek didn’t seem to mind as he wrapped a hand around the base of Stiles’ cock, kissing the underside as he worked his way up to the tip.

Stiles’ head tipped back, and he tried to tilt his head forward so he could look at Derek sucking him, but his body was not cooperating. So instead he was stuck with the feeling as Derek started to suck the tip, tongue licking as he did.

It felt so good, and Stiles couldn’t stop himself from digging his nails into Derek’s shoulder as he tried desperately not to thrust his hips forward. Derek was doing a good job of stopping him though, holding Stiles flush against the wall.

That turned out to be a smart decision on Derek’s part, because after one long suck he pulled off Stiles’ cock and moved further down, mouthing the inside of Stiles’ thighs to get him to spread his legs. Stiles did it with pleasure, one leg hooking over Derek’s shoulder.

Then he felt Derek’s tongue pushing against him, and he gasped, trying to arch out of Derek’s hold. It didn’t work, and Derek held him still as he teased Stiles’ opening, tongue sometimes slipping back to his balls. The feeling was like nothing Stiles had felt before, and he groaned, hips moving as Derek picked up the pace, and pressed a finger to join his tongue.

Stiles doubled forward, foot slipping. Derek kept him safe, still working his tongue inside Stiles, and he could _hear_ Derek moaning. Like he couldn’t get enough of the taste of Stiles.

 _Fuck that was hot_. Nothing Stiles had thought he had wanted. Nothing he had known he needed until Derek was doing it.

He was so good at it too. Stiles didn’t want to know how, he was just grateful.

So grateful. So ridiculously grateful as Derek’s other hand wrapped around his cock and started to pump him.

Stiles keened, right on edge as Derek’s finger slipped inside him. He needed more. He knew he was going to get more soon, but now he knew he was going to enjoy it.

 _Fuck_.

Stiles came on Derek’s face, and the water washed most of the semen away almost immediately. Stiles was panting, his own face near Derek’s because he hadn’t recovered from when he had bent over. If he contorted himself just a little more he could lick the remaining mess off of Derek’s face – but yeah. No. Stiles didn’t have it in him.

Derek was smirking as he slowly put down Stiles leg, keeping a hand on his hip to make sure he was steady.

“You’ll need to brush your teeth again,” Stiles said, because apparently sex made his filter disappear. Who knew?

Derek laughed, face looking gorgeous as he pecked Stiles on the lips. “Whatever you say.”

“I hate you,” Stiles grouched as he tried to locate the soap.

Derek just laughed again, and they spent a few minutes lazily washing each other. The water was finally dropping towards freezing and Derek shut off the tap, and grabbed them the too tiny towels the motel offered. They dried themselves as much as they needed, but Stiles still had drops of water on his skin as they left the bathroom and collapsed onto the bed.

Stiles attacked Derek’s mouth, climbing on top of him as he did. Derek didn’t seem to mind, letting Stiles have his way for a few moments before he grabbed Stiles’ hips and flipped them. Stiles whined, hands gripping Derek’s shoulders as he started to rub against Derek.

He may not be able to come just yet, but his body was still vibrating with pleasure, probably a residual from Derek, who was still hard. Stiles grinned, breaking the kiss and ducking his head so he could actually look at Derek. He liked admiring gorgeousness, and Derek naked was definitely that.

Stiles wrapped his hand around Derek’s cock, feeling the hardness with a gentle squeeze. _That was going to feel either really good, or really bad in him._ He was really hoping it was the former.

Especially if Derek knotted him.

Especially _when_ Derek knotted him.

Derek groaned, hips jerking forward and his foreskin pulled forward just a bit as Stiles hand stroked over his erection.

Well, that was hot.

Stiles felt his mouth watering, lips parting, and he really wanted to return the favor from the shower. If he had the ability to get hard right now he would be.

“No,” Derek gasped. “In you.”

“My mouth is in me,” Stiles quipped back, licking his lips.

Derek squeezed his hips, and just like that Stiles found himself on his hands and knees. He blinked, because that was not expected at all. Derek had a hip on his lower back, keeping him bent over as he reached for the bag, the tube of lube he had bought.

“Not what I need,” Derek said, and yup, that was his cock nudging against Stiles’ thigh.

He moaned, because he remembered the woods. He remembered how good that had felt, and wondered how much better it would feel with Derek inside him.

The cap to the lube popped open, cutting through the sound of their panting and Stiles gasped as he felt cool liquid against his skin.

Derek’s hand spread Stiles’ cheeks, and a finger pressed against his entrance, not with any pressure though. He wasn’t trying to enter Stiles just yet. He was just teasing, getting lube around Stiles’ hole.

Fuck, he was going to take his time. Derek had some serious control.

Stiles whined, burying his face in the motel comforter as Derek took his time making sure there was enough lube before he even pressed his finger down harder.

It was worth it though, because when Derek’s finger finally entered him it went so much smoother than in the shower, and even that had felt good.

Stiles squirmed, trying to get more of Derek’s finger inside him. He was clenching around it, muscles working to try and push Derek out and pull him in at the same time. Stiles could only imagine what it felt like on Derek’s end.

Derek took his time, working the one finger slowly until he actually started something that resembled fucking. Then he added a second.

Stiles moaned, spreading his legs, wanting more. But Derek was still going slow. He took time to add more lube, making sure Stiles stayed wet. Stiles knew he would probably thank Derek in a hour when he was fine, but right now it was just annoying. He wanted Derek. He wanted more. He wanted everything, and he didn’t even know what that felt like.

“Please,” he gasped, wiggling his hips to try and make Derek pick up his pace as he added a third finger. “More, Derek please.”

Derek shushed him, and Stiles could smell how aroused he was. He licked his lips, because it smelled it like it would taste good, and dammit Stiles needed this. He had been good, patient even. Most teenagers couldn’t claim that!

Derek removed his fingers and Stiles groaned. He didn’t vocalize anything though, because fingers being removed meant something else replacing them, right?

The lube opened once more, and Stiles could _hear_ Derek applying the lube to his cock, the sound of slicking filling the room. Stiles was so glad he had all of these senses because they made sex so much more interesting.

He was hard again, Derek playing with him enough to give him an erection, and Stiles tried to rub his cock against the bed. It was softer than the woods, where he hadn’t been able to do this.

This was softer all around. Derek was still in control, and Stiles really hoped he snapped at some point, because after all this slow stuff Stiles was sure being pounded sounded divine.

Derek’s cock pressed against his opening, and it felt deliciously hard. Stiles moaned, arching his hips back, and trying to get Derek to slip inside him.

When it finally happened, oh god—

Stiles’ cry was overshadowed by Derek’s growl as he started to sink into Stiles’ body.

“Yes, fuck,” Stiles cursed, feeling himself slide against the covers of the bed as Derek finally bottomed out, filling Stiles up completely.

He was big, a thick pressure inside Stiles body, and _jesus fuck that was amazing_. Could he have this feeling forever?

Then Derek started to move, hips pulling back and then snapping forward.

Stiles screamed into the mattress, because he had no shame. None at all. Who had time for shame when he was getting fucked?

Not Stiles, that was for sure.

So he screamed and didn’t give a shit that others could probably hear him. They could just be jealous that he was getting some better than them, and hopefully not mistake the screams for murder.

Derek was answering his screams with grunts of his own, picking up the pace as he got closer. Stiles didn’t even have the ability to reach down and jack himsel off, because _fuck_ the feeling of Derek. It was good, and definitely overrode any higher functioning thoughts.

He could tell when Derek was close when he felt the knot start to swell, and that was when it hit Stiles. This was going to happen, and it was okay. Definitely okay. Better than okay.

He spread his legs just a little more, letting Derek slip further in him as his knot filled, and only Derek’s bruising grip on his hip kept him from pushing back so it was finally inside him. Stiles whined, because he needed it. Right now. Yes.

And then, finally, Derek pushed his hips all the way forward, knot slipping inside him and stretching Stiles further than he could have imagined. He screamed as he finally got a hand back to his own cock, and a few touches and he was coming.

His body tensed around Derek and Derek’s claws sunk into Stiles’ hips as his own hips stuttered forward, coming deep inside Stiles. Stiles’ eyes went wide at the feeling and he moaned, his own claws tearing into the mattress. He really hoped this wasn’t the kind of establishment that expected a security deposit, because if so they were so screwed.

Derek collapsed against Stiles’ back, still tied inside him. Stiles was fine with this, because he felt full, and he liked feeling full. He could still feel Derek coming in occasional spurts, and he wiggled his hips just to hear Derek whimper.

“So that’s what sex with an alpha feels like, huh?” Stiles muttered into the blanket.

Derek bit his shoulder. “Shut up, Stiles. You’re ruining my afterglow.”

Stiles reached his hand out, and hey it was only vaguely numb!, to try and find Derek’s so he could link their fingers together. “Guess we’ll just have to try again until we get it right.”

Derek snorted, and licked the bite mark he probably left on Stiles. It was okay. He was the alpha, Stiles supposed it was his right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a small note that yes there will be a sequel to this that deals with season 2 :3 i won't be posting it right away because of school and also i really need a break from writing (or at least writing this jfc can you believe i've written 120k????? i can't!!!) but there will be sequel. It will probably begin posting in the new year. And expect the next chapter soon-ish, fingers and rl willing. I love you all and thank you so much for your patience <3333


	12. Episode 12: Werewolf? Let me be Alpha (I wanna be down in you)

Allison chewed on her nail as she tried not to pace in the waiting room. Her father had left her, Scott and Danny at the hospital, without saying anything. She didn’t blame him for not talking. What did they have to say to each other? The old alpha was dead, and Derek was the new alpha, and Allison had helped it happened. She didn’t regret it and if he tried to make her feel bad she would shut him down.

And if he tried to throw Kate in her face, use her a bargaining chip to make Allison think that werewolves were evil… Allison didn’t know what she would do then. She had already threatened to leave once, and it hadn’t been an idle threat. She wondered if he knew that, if he realized how big the rift could get between them.

Kate had killed innocent people - humans and werewolves if Stiles was right about the makeup of the Hale pack. That was not something Allison could forgive, not by a long shot, and while it had hurt watching Stiles kill her, while that wasn’t the choice Allison would have made, she could understand it. Derek and him, they were close, probably would have made decent friends even without the craziness involving werewolves, it was just something about their personalities that clicked. It wasn’t a hard stretch to believe they would kill for each other, so witnessing it hadn’t been the shock.

No. The shocking part had been her father’s reaction, and how he had fired right at Stiles. It hadn’t been a warning shot either. It had been meant to hurt him. Knock him down. And Allison didn’t care what her father’s reasoning was; if he couldn’t see the big picture, make the connections and see that things happened for a reason, and that sometimes humans were the monsters and needed to be put down, she didn’t want to be involved with that.

She would tell him as much, when she finally got home. If she had a home. It was a distant thought that maybe he would kick her out. He would disown her for siding with the pack. Her mother would stop that though, wouldn’t she?

Allison hadn’t even figured out if her mom knew about werewolves or not. She assumed she had to know, but she didn’t know where she stood on the whole idea. She sucked in a deep breath as she finally gave into her pacing.

It was a lot to think about, but at the end of the day, the entirety of their group of friends was more important than her own problems. Lydia was in god knows what condition, and that wasn’t something they could control. If she lost her parents to this, it would hurt. It would _destroy_ her in so many ways, but only for a little while. She had her friends, and they would be able to take care of her, because all of her problems were something she could control. That they could control.

“Pacing won’t make time go by faster,” Scott said, grabbing her arm as she passed him.

Allison dropped into the seat next to him and crossed her arms as he wrapped her up in a hug. The nurses and doctors refused to speak to them about Lydia’s condition, waiting for her parents, who had gone to Sacramento for a weekend couple’s retreat. They were on their way back though, and once they were here, things could start progressing.

Allison refused to leave until she knew what was going to happen though, and the others had agreed.

Jackson was asleep on Danny’s shoulder, having finally crashed after he had been assured that the three of them were fine. His final question before falling unconscious had been about the alpha, and Allison had heard Danny whisper that they had taken care of everything and Derek was the new alpha. Jackson’s face had broken out into a small smile and it made Allison feel good. Everyone cared about each other, and even if they didn’t always show it, they pulled together in the end.

She spotted the Sheriff down the hall, talking with one of his deputies. He hadn’t left the hospital all night, according to Jackson, sending out other deputies to try and locate Stiles. It was a good thing they hadn’t been able to find them, because a police officer stumbling upon them murdering the alpha was going to raise a few questions.

And then there was the whole _penis_ thing and the fact that everyone had seen Derek’s. That would have definitely caught the attention of anyone passing by.

Hopefully whatever Stiles and Derek were doing didn’t get them caught.

Allison rubbed her hand over her forehead as she stifled a laugh.

Scott looked at her. “What’s the matter?”

She laughed a little bit more, shaking her head. “Just thinking about Stiles and Derek.”

Danny echoed her laugh with a quiet snort. Scott looked between them, confused. “What about them?”

They both stopped and stared at Scott, probably wondering the same thing. Allison darted her eyes to Danny, who shrugged the shoulder that Jackson wasn’t sleeping on.

Allison looked back at Scott. “The fact that they ran off into the woods? Together? And Derek was naked?”

Scott was quiet for a moment and then his eyes went wide. “Do you think they had sex in the woods?!”

“No, they probably had an epic game of hide and go seek in the woods,” Danny said, rolling his eyes.

“Really?!” Scott asked, turning around in the chair he was sitting in.

Allison glanced at Danny, and she could see the conflict in his eyes at Scott’s earnestness. On one hand, no doubt, he wanted to tell Scott that _yes, of course they were having sex, did you miss Derek’s_ erection _?_ but on the other hand, Scott’s eyes were pleading for Danny to tell him that his best friend wasn’t having sex in the woods at this very moment.

Danny sighed. “Yeah. It’s totally hide and go seek.”

Allison buried her face in Scott’s shoulder to smother her laughter. It was good to know that even after everything they could still rely on each other to make the situation better. Now if only they could have that extend to Lydia getting better.

***

Chris gripped the steering wheel as he sat in the garage. It was six in the morning by the time he got back home. He could have gone back after planting the evidence on Kate’s body, but doing that had left a bad taste in his mouth. He couldn’t face Victoria like that, so he had taken his time getting back to the house.

He took a deep breath. Victoria had no doubt heard him drive up. She was probably already up and had started her day, and it wasn’t like him to linger. Chris grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut.

He had been correct; Victoria was in the kitchen, still dressed in workout clothes from her morning run, and cooking pancakes. Chris could smell them from the doorway.

“You two were out late so I decided to make pancakes,” she said, and Chris could only stare at her back. The numbness was starting to kick in, now that he was standing in the brightly lit kitchen.

Kate had liked sitting in the kitchen. She had taken over one of the stools her first day here.

He couldn’t believe he was being reduced to thinking these things. He hadn’t been raised to be sentimental, but somehow he had turned out that way.

“Chris?” Victoria asked, finally turning around. She frowned when she saw he was alone. “Did Kate go to freshen up? I can add blueberries.”

“Kate’s dead,” Chris said, dropping his bag on the kitchen counter to punctuate the statement.

Victoria’s eyes went wide as her nostrils flared. “What happened?”

“She had Derek Hale locked up, and the alpha came to get him.”

“Just the alpha,” Victoria asked, turning off the gas on the stove.

Chris nodded. He needed to keep his end of the deal up, even if it meant lying to his wife. “The alpha killed Kate—“

“And then you killed the alpha and Derek?” Victoria demanded, hands slamming on the kitchen island.

Chris hesitated. He hadn’t expected Victoria to be this invested, but then again she had a vicious streak that sometimes he couldn’t anticipate. “Just the alpha. Derek got away.”

Victoria’s face went cold as she stepped back. “How could you let him go?” She spit out.

“I was a little distracted by my sister getting her throat ripped out by the alpha!” Chris shot back.

“You should have chased him down. Now we don’t know if he got the alpha power or not.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Chris said, voice still almost shouting. “Derek is not a threat. He never was.”

“You’re so naïve,” Victoria hissed. “If he has the alpha power he will be.”

Chris stared her down. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Victoria’s hand went up to her head and she rubbed her temple. “Gerard is going to hear about this, and he is going to demand Derek’s head on a stake.” Chris didn’t say anything to that, because what could he say? Victoria was just speaking the truth. “At least Allison didn’t get screwed up in this,” Victoria muttered, turning back to the oven and turning on the gas. Chris was glad she couldn’t see his guilty face. “Text her to find out when she’s coming back from Lydia’s. We’ll see if some of the boys can stop by before she gets back and we’ll talk tactics.”

Chris sucked in a breath. He couldn’t lie to Victoria about this. He was on a slippery slope, and it looked like he was starting to trip. “Allison isn’t at Lydia’s,” Chris confessed.

“What? She run off with that boyfriend of hers?” Victoria asked with a laugh as she spooned some batter onto the griddle.

“No. She’s at the hospital.” Victoria spun around as Chris continued. “There was an attack. The alpha bit Lydia—“

“Oh, thank god!” Victoria said, voice sounding relieved. Chris arched an eyebrow and she glared at him. “You had me worried Allison had been attacked.”

“No!” Chris said. “No, Allison just found her.”

“Does she know?” Victoria asked, and she stepped closer to Chris, voice low and dark.

Chris shook his head. “No. She thinks it’s an animal attack.”

Victoria breathed, and he couldn’t tell if she was pleased or not. “We should find a way to tell her.”

Chris closed his eyes. “I’m not sure what that would accomplish.”

“Werewolves killed her family. Kate and Allison were very close, I’m sure she’ll take her death very hard.”

Chris wasn’t so sure about that. “I don’t know.”

Victoria sniffed. “Well, it’s not like we’ll have much of an option once Gerard gets here. Now text the others. Tell them I made pancakes and will feed their ungrateful stomachs while we discuss what to do.”

Chris couldn’t argue with her, because the worst part of all of this was that she was right. He dropped his head, and wondered if he should warn Derek and Stiles, or if that went too far past what the truce was about.

***

Stiles and Derek checked out of the motel at six in the morning, both of them freshly showered and Stiles feeling at least a little more settled. He couldn’t speak for Derek, but Stiles had a feeling that he was doing better as well. The bond wasn’t quite the level of awareness that Stiles had felt right at the end of it all with Peter, where all his instincts were connected to Peter, but it was stronger than it had been there when Stiles and Derek had both been betas.

That said, Stiles could feel the difference in Derek as they got closer to the hospital, how he started to tense up. And it wasn’t just the physical tensing that clued Stiles in to the change in their dynamic, Stiles could feel his hackles rising in response to Derek’s tense mood. A quick glance at him caused Derek to try and force himself to relax, obviously aware he was starting to affect Stiles.

“Sorry,” Derek said, uncrossing his arms and letting out a big breath. “I didn’t realize it would happen this quickly.”

“What?” Stiles asked as he stopped at a red light. “The whole wolfiness?”

A faint smile crossed Derek’s face at Stiles’ phrasing. “That’s one way to put it, but I meant the way you react to it. I didn’t bite you-“

Stiles cut him off with a laugh. “Uh, yes you did. You practically tore open my shoulder.” He had been ignoring the numb throb in his shoulder from where Derek had spent a good long time biting into, and then licking to try and help it heal. He had glanced at marks that still hadn’t healed right before they left the motel and a part of him wondered if it was going to actually scar. He had never been injured by an alpha since being bit, but he knew alphas could cause lasting damage.

“I guess I did,” Derek said slowly, like he was remembering everything they had done before commenting on it.

“Maybe that was enough for the alpha power to register me as essentially your bitten beta, instead of just one you inherited.” The light turned green and Stiles started driving again. “And since I – you know – forged that final bond with Peter before his death,” because there was no way Stiles was going to mention Kate at this moment, “we’re starting off like I was a full fledged pack member without more death.”

“Maybe.” Derek drew out the word, and it was obvious he was thinking. “It’s different.”

“What? The alpha power?”

Derek nodded. “I thought I had some idea what it would be like, especially because Laura didn’t seem that bothered by it, but I can definitely see why others would kill for it. Knowing you have a pack who will fight for you,” Stiles could feel Derek looking at him and he gripped the steering wheel a little bit tighter because Derek’s voice was dropping into a low rumble, “I think for any werewolf that means a lot.”

“You’re always going to have me, Derek. You’ve always _had_ me.”

Stiles could see Derek continue to smile out of the corner of his eye, looking so pleased with himself. He was still tense, obviously wary of what was to come, but it wasn’t raising Stiles’ hackles like it had been before. Stiles dropped one hand off of the steering wheel and fished for Derek’s hand, linking their fingers together, which made turning into the hospital parking lot a bitch, but it was totally worth it to feel the steady pulse coming from Derek’s hands in his.

When he pulled into the parking lot he made sure that he parked far away from the police cars that were still littering the area. That didn’t even include all of the civvie cars that Stiles knew belonged to junior deputies.

Derek’s heart was picking up as he eyed all of the cop cars and Stiles squeezed his hand. “You don’t need to come in. I can understand that you probably don’t want to get questioned.”

“They found my car, I take it?”

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, and my dad came to question me since I’m the only person the town thinks you talk to.”

Derek huffed, shaking his head. “I need to check on Lydia, and the others. It’s this instinct.”

Stiles felt Derek’s hand clench into a fist around his own fingers. “Let’s go then.”

It was weird, not feeling the need to say certain things like _I understand_ to Derek now, because that feeling that connected them seemed to transmit the sentiment well enough. Not telepathy, but how awesome would that be? It was just the feeling of urgency, the need to check on their pack members, to make sure they were alright.

They walked through a side door, hoping to not grab the attention of anyone, but there were cops at every entrance, and the deputy leaning against the vending machine by the door had Stiles made in a moment. He didn’t even have the chance to duck behind Derek, before the deputy, Remy, was stalking towards him with a scowl on his face.

Stiles knew all the cops under his dad’s watch, but Remy was one of the ones with seniority, having joined the force as a deputy-in-training the year before Stiles’ mom had died, and he had picked up a few extra hours babysitting a much too hyperactive nine-year-old Stiles. So Remy knew Stiles, and had the rare privilege of being able to ream him out if his dad wasn’t around to do it. Which explained why Stiles didn’t protest when Remy grabbed him by the ear, shooting a glare at Derek before looking back at Stiles.

“Do you have any idea how much your Jeep sticks out in this town?”

“Hello to you, too, Gambit,” Stiles said, dropping Derek’s hand after a squeeze to try and calm him. He could feel Derek getting angry at someone pretty much assaulting him, and ripping Remy apart was not the answer.

“That’s _Deputy_ Gambit to you, buddy. Your dad has been driving himself crazy looking for you, and when I get sent out to look for you, half-terrified that you had gotten into a crash because apparently you left the school in a huff after being dumped, the last thing I was expecting was to find you parked by the Hooker Hotel.”

Stiles winced. “I wouldn’t call it a hotel so much as a motel, and there really weren’t that many hookers there, you would be surprised actually how upstanding the place is.”

Remy shook him and Stiles really hoped that he didn’t hear Derek’s growl. “Not the point, Aiden.”

“Hey! First name usage!” Stiles yelped, drawing the attention of the few nurses who were starting to come in for the daylight shift. He pried himself away, rubbing his ear more for effect than anything else. “At least say the whole thing if you’re gonna pull that on me.”

Remy darted a look at Derek, and it was obvious he was finally getting a good look at him for the first time. “ _Fuck_ , that kid really was telling the truth.”

“What kid?” Stiles asked, straightening up.

“The prissy one with the lawyer dad,” Remy said, waving his head. “Said you’d run off with Derek Hale. We’d pretty much assumed he was dead, no offense,” Remy said, looking Derek up and down one more time before grabbing hold of Stiles’ shoulder. “Come with me. You have so much to answer for.”

Stiles winced, and he didn’t even have a chance to ask Remy if he had mentioned the whole _motel_ thing to his dad before he was being dragged into the waiting room and he saw his dad and the rest of the pack.

His dad looked exhausted, but he perked up as he saw Stiles. It wasn’t a good perk up though, and he stalked towards him, wrenching Stiles away from Remy to give him a good shake of his own before pulling him into a hug.

“Where the _hell_ have you been?” He asked, burying his face in Stiles’ shoulder and squeezing one more time before he stepped back to look Stiles up and down.

So Remy hadn’t mentioned anything. Stiles couldn’t stop himself from looking back at Remy, and subsequently Derek, who was trying to inch his way towards the pack, all of whom looked half-zombified while Jackson slept on Danny’s shoulder, wanting to check on them no doubt.

“Stiles!” His dad shook him briefly and Stiles looked back at him.

“Sorry! I just. Derek…” he trailed off, not sure what to say. How the hell were they going to explain this? “I got a call from him and went to pick him up.”

His dad’s eyes darted to Derek, brow furrowed. “And where the hell has he been?” He let go of Stiles to turn his attention to Derek.

Stiles watched Derek take a step backwards, and it was amusing because he was an _alpha_ now, but he was still intimidated by someone. Granted, Stiles’ dad could be pretty scary. “I-“

“Because we looked all through those woods for you and didn’t find a single trace. And now you’re just calling up my son for a ride like nothing happened?”

Derek looked like a deer caught in the headlights, before he ducked his head. “I don’t remember much after the crash. I uh – I got picked up though, and by the time I was conscious enough I couldn’t get out.”

Stiles’ dad was stepping closer to Derek. The waiting room was empty except for their group, but Stiles was still aware that his dad would need an official statement. “Couldn’t get out? What, you were being held prisoner or something?” It was obvious it was taking a lot for his dad to believe Derek.

Derek shrugged. “Pretty much. I managed to break out of my bonds tonight though, and got to a pay phone.”

“Why didn’t you call-“ Stiles’ dad stopped himself, probably remembering the conversation they had had after the night at the school. He sighed. “Who kidnapped you? Why would they? Does this have to do with your sister?”

Derek didn’t meet anyone’s eye, and Stiles wondered what he was going to say. “Kate Argent and a few buddies of hers. We’ve uh- been involved before.”

“Kate- Kate Argent,” Stiles dad repeated, before looking at Remy. “Get a hold of Troy. Find out his status on looking for her.”

Stiles’ mouth went dry. They were already looking for Kate. That wasn’t good. He darted a look towards the pack, but the three who were awake all looked confused. It must have been Jackson.

 _Shit_.

Stiles’ dad pointed at Derek, moving closer to him. “I want an official statement. Not right now because I have to make a few phone calls, but later. If you skip town I will track you down. Do you understand?” Derek gave a sharp nod as Stiles’ dad took his finger out of his face. “Good.” He turned and looked at Stiles. “You. Get home _now_.”

Stiles opened his mouth to protest. “But my friends?”

“You can see them later. You are in so much trouble buddy.”

“Are we talking like first name kind of trouble?” Stiles asked, testing to see how bad of a mood his dad was in.

“Oh, this is _so_ beyond first name trouble. This is _full name_ kind of trouble,” his dad said, frowning.

Stiles winced. He looked at the pack, and Scott mouthed _good luck_. Stiles waved, looking at Derek, but he just shook his head, nodding towards the group. Stiles nodded, understanding that he was going to talk with everyone to make sure they were alright.

They would meet up later.

Stiles huffed and headed back to his Jeep. He was in so much trouble. Best to start making plans for the pack in case his dad decided permanent grounding was the best answer.

***

All in all it was probably for the best that Derek had told as much of the truth as he had, if for no other reason than it got the police out of the hospital, because now they had another lead to chase. It gave Derek a chance to talk to the rest of the group without drawing suspicion.

Scott’s mom came over as the police were filing out, motioning for Scott to follow her, but he begged to stay, because Allison was staying. Derek arched an eyebrow, unsure what was going on because it was obvious that Scott was almost dead on his feet. Scott’s mom just sighed though, and tossed her bag over her shoulder as she left.

Derek looked back at the group. “Why don’t you go home?”

Scott rested his head on Allison’s shoulder, threading his arm through hers. “I’m on first watch.”

“First. Watch.” Derek repeated.

Scott nodded, yawning. “Yeah. To make sure nothing happens to Lydia. And if something does happen, we have someone here to report to the rest of the pack. At noon Stiles said he’ll be back, and then Danny and Jackson at nine tonight.”

 _Stiles_ , of course. Who else would come up with a rotational schedule? Well, actually, Derek could believe Danny or Allison doing it, but Stiles made sense too. “When did Stiles come up with this idea?”

Scott yawned again and Allison ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure, but he texted us about two hours ago checking in to see what was happening.”

That sounded like it was around the time Stiles had forced Derek to go shower again, this time alone so showering actually occurred. Of course he would also take the time to check on everyone. Derek nodded, looking at the other three. Jackson was still asleep on Danny’s shoulder, not waking up at all and Derek was impressed.

He shuffled for a moment, not sure what to ask. He could already tell they didn’t know anything about Lydia, or else they would have mentioned something, but that wasn’t the only thing he wanted to talk to them about. How to approach it though?

Allison was looking at him, tired but alert, and Derek decided that blunt was the best course of action.

“Allison, can I talk to you?”

She tilted her head to the side, pushing Scott off of her gently. “Sure thing.”

Derek nodded to Danny. “Don’t leave yet. I want to talk to you after.”

Danny made a noise of agreement, shifting his hold on Jackson, probably trying to make him more comfortable.

Allison followed Derek down the hallway, away from everyone else. Derek was distantly aware they were headed towards Peter’s old room, and he wondered when the staff would notice he was missing. Just another thing to add to the list of things Stiles and he would need to worry about. And the rest of the pack, especially if Allison and Danny agreed to the bite.

Derek remembered Chris’ request, but honestly, after Lydia, Allison was who he had wanted for a beta. She was smart, resilient and bull-headed enough to make her opinion known. And even if she couldn’t say it to him, she could talk to Stiles, and Stiles could talk to him. She would be perfect. Derek turned to look at her once they were alone.

Before he could speak though, Allison was already doing it, hands clasped together in front of her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t do anything when I saw you there. I panicked, and I mean I told Stiles, he was the first person I went to because I knew he would know what to do-“

“It’s fine.” Derek cut her off. “That wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“But it’s what _I_ wanted to tell you. If I hadn’t been so shocked maybe…” she trailed off, and Derek sighed.

“Allison. I’m fine. I got out, and we killed the alpha.” Her shoulders drooped, and Derek didn’t know what else to say to make her feel better. “You were a great help out there.”

She looked up, and it looked like she wanted to smile. “Really?”

He nodded. “That’s why I wanted to ask you this.” She nodded, waiting for him to continue. “The bite,” he said, “do you want it?” He heard her heartbeat pick up, and he couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or not. He continued. “It won’t be like Lydia or Stiles. I’m giving you the choice because that’s how it’s supposed to be. You know I won’t be like Peter.”

A smile graced Allison’s face, but she stayed quiet as she thought, looking away from Derek. He let her take her time. He knew this could be a tough choice, especially for Allison. Everything he was asking of her.

“I can’t,” Allison finally said, shoulders dropping. “I want to, but – I think it would be better for my dad if I stayed human.” Derek couldn’t argue with that, but he still had wanted her. “But, as a human I can probably get information from any hunters who come to town.”

“This is true,” Derek said, nodding.

Allison tapped her toe lightly on the ground. “So… I’m not exiled for saying ‘no’ right?”

Derek shook his head. “Of course not. You’re a good fit, Allison.” She beamed at that.

“And when I ask?”

“If you change your mind I think you’ll make a great addition,” Derek said.

Allison’s face broke into a huge grin and she clapped her hands together in delight before wrapping her arms around Derek’s neck. He wasn’t expecting the hug and he stood there stiffly as Allison hummed excitedly, squeezing. “Thank you,” she said, voice squeaking as she pulled away just as Derek got up the nerve to pat her on the back. “I’ll go get Danny for you, okay?”

He nodded, watching her leave. He exhaled, disappointed. He knew it had been a long shot to get her to agree, but he had to try. And it hadn’t been an outright refusal. It had been a _not now_. She had the right to change her mind, and Derek was okay waiting for it.

Danny came around the corner a moment later, and Derek stuffed his hands in his pockets. Danny hadn’t been in his original plans, because Lydia and Allison took precedence, but he couldn’t feel the shift in Lydia so he needed someone else. Danny was third on the list, and Derek was sure he knew it.

“You’re going to ask me if I want the bite, aren’t you?” Danny asked, skipping over all pleasantries.

Derek had to admit he admired the way Danny always cut through all the shit. “Yes. I need a pack I can trust.”

“And I’m that, I know.” Danny looked at Derek, and then licked his lips as he shook his head. “I can’t do it Derek, I’m sorry. I’m not-“ he cut himself off, but Derek didn’t say anything. He let Allison take her time, he was going to extend the same courtesy to Danny. “I told Stiles – god, yesterday, it’s only been a day,” he rubbed his forehead. “I’ve thought about it, a lot, and I’m not sure it’s what’s best for me. I’m worried, especially after everything, about losing myself and…” he trailed off, heart skipping. Derek wanted to press, but it wouldn’t be respectful. “So. No.” He looked Derek in the eye, and even though his heart was jack-hammering in his chest his eyes were determined.

Derek nodded, dismissing Danny with a wave of his hand.

So they were back at square one, but it was okay. They still had a pack, even if they were just a mix of humans. And he liked the mix of humans; it just wasn’t going to be enough.

He and Stiles needed to talk.

***

Danny tucked his arm under Jackson’s armpit. “Come on, I’ll call my mom for a ride.”

Jackson wanted to protest but he felt too numb. He had passed out almost as soon as he had been assured that everyone was okay, the adrenaline leaving his body. The few hours he had slept hadn’t made anything better though. Lydia’s parents still weren’t there, and so no one knew what was going on. He didn’t want to leave until he had answers, but Danny was having none of that.

“Come on, Allison and Scott are taking the first shift, and then Stiles will be here,” Danny said, walking Jackson to the exit.

“When did we come up with this plan? Why do we have this plan?” Jackson asked, trying not to trip off of his own feet.

“It was while you were asleep, and it’s so someone is always with Lydia for when she wakes up. Whoever is there will contact everyone else with status updates. It will stop the pack from worrying.”

 _The pack_ , Jackson thought. So that’s what they were referring to themselves now. He could... handle that. As long as he was part of it. As long as they kept him in the loop. Which, if Danny was calling him pack, then he was part of it, right?

Danny sat Jackson on a bench right by the door as he reached into his pocket for his cellphone. “I’m just calling my mom,” Danny said as he took a few steps away so he could hear his mom on the other line.

Jackson squinted in the morning sunlight, looking down at his hands. He was still so twisted up about Lydia. The fact that Derek and Stiles hadn’t given them any answers about what could happen to her didn’t make him feel any better, but then again it wasn’t fair to expect them to know everything. If they knew everything they wouldn’t have been stumbling around like idiots before they had met up with everyone else.

Danny hung up the phone and came to sit beside Jackson again, pocketing his cellphone. “Mom’s on her way. She’s not exactly happy I’m at the hospital, so there might be a little bit of yelling.”

Jackson couldn’t stop from smiling, just a little. Danny’s mom was such a worrier. She couldn’t even watch their lacrosse games because it was too violent. The first time she had tried, when they were in fifth grade and not even in an official league, not even five minutes in she had run onto the field and stopped the game because Danny had taken a hit to the gut. Jackson never thought it was a bad thing, because it was obvious how much Danny’s mom cared for him.

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it somehow,” he said, nudging Danny’s shoulder a little. Danny nudged back, returning his smile, though it wasn’t as bright as he normally smiled. He was probably exhausted from their night, and having to deal with the police _and_ talking to Derek (their leader?) probably wasn’t easy.

“Hey, what did Derek want?” Jackson asked, trying to sound casual. It wasn’t that he cared or anything. But if it was _pack business_ maybe Jackson could help with it.

Danny frowned. “He asked if I wanted the bite. I assume he asked Allison the same.”

Jackson’s mouth went dry at that, but it made sense. Of course Derek would need to get his other betas, and of course he would want to pick the best, and who was better than Danny, honestly? Danny would make an awesome werewolf. “Oh. So when is he doing it?”

Danny looked at Jackson. “Doing what?”

“The bite.”

“He’s not,” Danny said slowly. “I said no.”

Jackson’s entire body relaxed when he heard that. He hadn’t even realized how much it was going to bother him knowing that Danny had taken the bite and Jackson hadn’t. But Danny had said no, for some reason.

What reason?

“Why?”

Danny glanced at Jackson. “Honestly? I’m still not over Stiles, and I’m afraid I only want the bite so badly because a part of me thinks we could get back together. And that’s not a feeling I want to base decisions on.”

Jackson was having trouble breathing. There was a pressure on his chest at the idea of Danny getting turned, of everyone getting turned and he wouldn’t even be _asked_. But. Danny had said no. So he didn’t need to worry about this now. They weren’t leaving him. And maybe Derek was just taking his time asking everyone. He’d been rejected by Danny at the very least, and who knew what Allison’s answer had been. But maybe one rejection had stung his pride enough and made him not want to ask the rest of them right now.

Jackson would wait.

***

Stiles was sitting on the living room couch when Derek let himself in through the front door. It was weird, seeing him standing there like nothing was different, and Stiles stared for a moment.

“I’m surprised you were let go.”

Derek nodded, shutting the door and coming over to the couch. “Everyone got busy looking for Kate, so it was easy to slip away.”

“That’s good,” Stiles said, unable to stop his voice from going flat. In the forty-five minutes he had been alone the adrenaline had started to fade, and reality was starting to set in. Or at least, Stiles felt like reality should be setting in. It didn’t feel any different though, and it _should_ , because things were different. So different.

Derek frowned at him, kneeling down so he could look Stiles in the eye. “You look like shit.”

“I feel fine,” Stiles said, because objectively he did. He was just off, because he didn’t feel like he should.

“You don’t look it.” Derek cupped his cheek, and turned his head from side to side, looking for something. He didn’t seem satisfied with what he saw, and he pursed his lips.

Stiles closed his eyes. “It’s just weird. My hands were soaked in blood, and I feel like, even though I washed them I should still see it. Basically I keep looking at my hands waiting for that Lady Macbeth moment, and I think the fact that I’m not having it is freaking me out more than anything else.”

Derek’s face softened. “It’s not strange. Not freaking out I mean.”

“Kill people often?” Stiles asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“No. But Stiles, we aren’t like other people. Our motivations aren’t like other people’s. Kate and my uncle? They needed to die. They were murderers.”

“I know. I just feel like I’m broken.”

“I don’t think you’re broken.”

Stiles couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face at that comment. “Thanks. I mean. You’re damaged enough for this relationship, no need to add mine to it.”

Derek’s laugh echoed throughout the house and he grabbed Stiles’ hand, pulling him off of the couch. “Come on. Some sleep will help you feel better, I bet.”

“Sleep, eh?” Stiles said as he let himself be dragged up the stairs. He took off his shirt as Derek shut his bedroom door, because even if nothing happened, feeling skin-to-skin contact was nice and it would help him sleep.

Stiles’ room still smelled like Derek despite how long he’d been missing; scents took longer than two weeks to fade. But now that Derek was back, filling the air with his scent, Stiles realized how much it had truly faded over the last couple of weeks. The knowledge that now his den would smell right again loosened something inside him, and Stiles relaxed, climbing into bed and pulling his comforter over himself.

“So what happened after I got exiled?”

“Both Allison and Danny said no,” Derek said, sliding into bed with Stiles.

Stiles frowned. That wasn’t what he was expecting Derek to do while he was gone, but he had been expecting that reaction. Danny had pretty much told him that same at the dance, and it wouldn’t be smart for Allison to say yes, no matter how brilliant she would be. They would need to come up with another solution. “Was it more of a _not now_ or a definitive _no?_ ”

Derek rolled over with Stiles as he reached for the notebook he had kept the list of candidates in. “With Allison it was closer to _not now_ , but it wouldn’t be until much later. She’s worried about her family’s reaction.”

“Understandable,” Stiles said, though it still sucked that he had to make a sad face next to Allison’s name, and then Danny’s. He looked to the top of the list, to Lydia’s name that he had circled and highlighted.

“She didn’t smell like a werewolf at the hospital,” Derek said quietly, kissing Stiles’ shoulder as he curled up to him.

“Maybe the bite just hasn’t settled yet. If it hasn’t taken then she wouldn’t smell like us.” Stiles knew it was a long shot but the other option was that Lydia was going to die and that _could not_ happen. He might not harbor the crush he had before, but he still _liked_ her, possibly even more now that he knew her.

“Maybe,” Derek agreed, even though he didn’t seem sure. “But we still need another beta. And we should have a second option in case the first falls through.”

“It just feels weird, looking outside of the pack for another beta.”

“I know Stiles, but we need someone else.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just going to suck, taking the time to indoctrinate someone else into the pack. The dynamic will be off. Hierarchy and all that. But I guess if we do it slowly, introducing them as a human for a while...” Stiles trailed off in thought.

“No,” Derek said. Stiles raised an eyebrow. “We don’t have time for that, Stiles.”

He frowned looking at Derek. “What do you mean?”

Derek sighed, flopping on his back. “I think... I know more trouble is coming.”

“Explain.” Stiles twisted in his arms so he could comfortably stare at Derek for a prolonged period. “In detail. Do not start off this pack lying.”

“I was going to. I just didn’t have time before, and I couldn’t - I couldn’t feel it like I can now.”

“Feel what?”

Derek huffed. “When an alpha comes into power-”

“Don’t give me a fucking story, Derek,” Stiles growled. “What’s coming? Hunters? Other werewolves?”

Derek licked his lips. “That one.”

“Werewolves,” Stiles said flatly. “To what? Challenge you?”

Derek nodded. “Essentially. They’ll be trying to see how our pack is, how we operate, and if they find us lacking they’ll put one of their own in my place.”

“So we need betas. _Good_ betas and sooner rather than later.” Stiles grabbed his notebook and looked forlornly at it. “Do you want me to start doing recon?”

A smile tugged on Derek’s lips. “Yeah.”

“So what are we looking for? Loyal? Smart? Gullible?” Stiles grabbed his pen, ready to take notes.

Derek was silent for a long moment. “We need people who won’t be missed.”

Stiles sighed. “It sounds so awful when you put it like that.”

“We might need to fight the alpha pack. And I don’t trust Argent’s word worth a damn, so I’m sure hunters will still be a problem.”

“I agree,” Stiles said, starting to jot down names, already trying to remember people that stood out.

_The girl who sits in front of me in Spanish_  
 _The curly brown haired boy_  
 _The curly blond haired boy_  
 _The super tall guy with freckles_  
 _Locker 578 girl_  
 _Beats by Dre girl_  
 _Ally Sheedy in Breakfast Club girl_

“This won’t be easy,” Stiles muttered as he came to a blank. Seven descriptions were a good place to start. He’d probably get one decent candidate out of this list. It would probably help if he knew their names though.

“Do you have any other suggestions?” Derek asked, snorting at the list before he rolled on his back.

“Well, it’s not like we have any other choices. I mean, where else are we going to get pack members if you don’t bite people?” Stiles asked as he put his notebook to the side, curling up to Derek’s side.

“The only other way packs grow is werewolves giving birth to werewolf children,” Derek said, eyes closed.

Stiles snorted, giving in and licking Derek’s shoulder. “Well, that’s not gonna happen, so I guess we are back to option A.” He was expecting at the very least some sort of nod in agreement, but Derek just stayed quiet, forehead crinkled in thought. “Derek,” he said slowly, “agree with me. That’s not going to happen. You aren’t going to knock up some passing beta are you? Do you even need a werewolf to give birth or will a human do?”

“It doesn’t need to be a woman.”

Stiles sat up with a jolt. “No. Absolutely not. Tell me you are kidding.”

Derek’s face slowly broke into a small grin. “I’m kidding, Stiles.”

“Oh, thank god,” Stiles said, sinking back into the bed and curling up to Derek’s side.

“Only born wolves can do it, so I’d have to be the carrier.”

“OH MY GOD!” Stiles screamed into Derek’s side. He smacked Derek’s chest as he let out a pitiful whine. “You can’t be serious. Okay no. This conversation is over. We are going back to plan P. And sticking with plan P. You are going to bite random teenagers who are stupid enough to get lost in the woods, and hope for the best okay?”

Derek snorted. “That’s plan P?”

“Yes. And we are sticking to it. So get running naked in the woods and start biting, dammit.”

In retrospect that was probably not the best thing to say, because Derek flashed a smirk before he sunk his teeth into Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles gasped, arching his hips against Derek’s. This was something he could get behind. Definitely a good thing, though apparently they would need to discuss condoms.

At a later date. Not right now. For now they could practice safe-sex by having Stiles on the bottom. This was a good idea, and of course just as Stiles pulls Derek away from mauling his shoulder to kiss him nice and deep, that’s when his dad comes home.

“Stiles, get your ass down here!”

Stiles broke the kiss, groaning as he pulled himself off of Derek. “Coming!” He shouted back, smacking Derek’s shoulder when he grinned. “Stop it, you.” He kissed Derek quickly before climbing off of the bed. “Now stay.”

Derek glared at Stiles, before casually tossing up his middle finger. Stiles let out an offended gasp and then stuck his tongue out.

“Stiles! I am not in the mood for your dawdling!” His dad shouted again and Derek shooed him away.

Stiles laughed as he shut the door to his bedroom and headed downstairs to see to his dad. They had a lot to talk about.

**_Fin_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SCREAMS I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S DONE????? Thank you everyone who read and commented and left kudos and were silent readers. I appreciate it all so much <3333 I hope you all enjoyed the ride this fic was, and thanks for sticking with me. In the next few days my beta (Beth!) and I will be reading through the fic and doing a few fixes on any grammar errors we find, so if you see the fic popping up that's what it all is :)
> 
> And finally I have a note about the sequel [here on my tumblr](http://kayevelyn.tumblr.com/post/36490462440/dc-season-2) if you want to read it.

**Author's Note:**

> The idea (as long as real life doesn't eat into my writing schedule, which hahahaha happens :|) is to post one chapter a week \o// Usually on Mondays. I already have a chapter buffer so >.> hopefully I can stick to this.


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